Chapter 2: Hatching Plans
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”
It’s a popular human phrase I learned growing up. From what we come do we eventually return, or so they teach.
I find the phrase to be ironic, myself. Dragonkind didn’t come from ashes or dust according to legend, but instead from darkness. Sounds odd, doesn’t it? But it’s the truth, some say. When Io the Ninefold created his children, all that existed was darkness. The Great Dragon perched in the darkness and let his scales shine resplendently, lighting the heavens in an array of colors. The shimmering light which he emitted struck the darkness, and where it struck the sky twisted and folded, turning in on itself until it began forming into other shapes, images of the Great Dragon himself, his children. First were born a pair of twins, one who glistened handsomely, shimmering like polished metals in the wake of his father’s light, and the other who bore many of her father’s colors, but whose luster was dulled by the darkness that she had come from and chose to dwell in: the twins were and are Bahamut the Lord of the North Wind and Tiamat The Five Headed Queen of the Dark.
Now Bahamut and Tiamat stood to each side of their father as other draken shapes formed from the void where Io’s divinity shone. There was Tamara the Merciful and Gyrax the Destroyer, Lendys the Just and Aasterinian the Prankster. All aspects of chaos and law, good and evil, were personified as the ten draconic deities. From there, Bahamut and Tiamat oversaw the creation of dragonkind and forged for them a place to live and dwell, the name of which varies from legend to legend as many tales tend to do.
And so, you see, according to the legends of many worlds, dragons were born from the darkness. Perhaps we were born to be a light in the dark. Perhaps we were not. Perhaps this is not even the tale of our beginnings at all, but merely another cleverly woven tale of a traveling minstrel who needed coin and warm bed.
Though it does make one wonder, if all things return to that from which they came…
----~-~-*-~-~----
It had certainly been a journey.
She felt as if she hadn’t been still for weeks. Surrounded on all sides by walls which she couldn’t yet break, she curled up more and hoped that whatever was jostling her around would stop soon.
“There, put ‘em there,” came the unfamiliar voice from outside, and she felt gravity pull her down to where her tail bobbed dangerously close to the bottom wall. She thought maybe, just maybe she was just about ready to break out, if only they would put her down! She would’ve sighed if she could have, but she settled for curling up further instead, her eyes tightly shut to where she couldn’t see a thing. She would open them soon, but again the time wasn’t right just yet.
Another jostle and then…finally, stillness. She moved around just a bit to get comfortable again. She could feel the slick of something around her on all sides, and thus far it had kept her from bashing her small head against the walls which loomed so close, and yet so far away all at once.
Time passed by. She felt warm, which most people would think was a good thing, but her…she longed for the cold terribly. The warmth always made her feel like she would smother under the duress of it, but she could make no noise to ask for the cold again, or to complain of the heat which crept upon her like a gag to cut off her breath. The heat was rising still, and she could hear noise from the outside, but there was enough of it now that she couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Perhaps it was because of that loud thumping in her ears, growing more and more desperate by the moment as still she felt as if she were being pulled closer and closer to an open flame.
More time passed, but she didn’t even notice it. The time still wasn’t right. Then she felt again as if she were being lifted, the prison she was locked inside jostling her, but only lightly this time, barely enough to disturb the slime surrounding her. And the voice she heard, it seemed familiar. Not as if she knew it so much as she felt she could trust it.
“We’ll take it. Here, hold this Ezella.” She was being moved again…for the gods’ sake would they just leave her still for…wait. She calmed inside as a chill began to spread through her surroundings. Finally! It was as if the hottest day of summer had finally been touched with a cool fall breeze which surrounded her and kissed her face, frostily nipping it as fall turned to winter. She curled back up. She just wanted to enjoy the cool for a while. She just wanted to feel safe in the darkness. She knew she would be out soon.
She could hear footfalls faintly from the outside, and she felt as if she was moving with them, but it didn’t bother her. She curled up and rested now. It wouldn’t be long now…
--
“It’s not time yet…”
I remember being so tired of telling myself that. I’d been trapped in the darkness for as long as I could remember. I wanted to be free to bask in the sun, to run and play, to be…me. That’s all I ever wanted.
When I hatched, I was alone. No mother to help me from my leathery prison. No father to watch with a proud gleam in his eye. It was just me alone in the snow and ice. I wondered if it would always be this way, and feared greatly that it would. However, later in the evening, I watched the sun setting in the sky full and red and tingeing the clouds with shades of pink, orange, and blue. It was beautiful, and even then as a young wyrmling freshly hatched, I knew I wanted that sky to be mine. I might be alone, but give me my freedom and I could be happy. If I could but touch the stars and soar through the clouds, then being alone wouldn’t be so bad after all. Of course, my stars were always just out of reach, my clouds just a dream I couldn’t touch or they would wisp away through my fingers.
That was the first truth I learned.
--
He had come as the stars had just begun to twinkle against the deepening velvet sky. A great draconic wyrm of monstrous proportions and the color of molten gold, his bearing regal and proud in as much as she immediately she sensed his importance. On the other hand, she couldn’t help but be afraid. It had been hours since she had hatched, and despite repeated scouring of the cave, there wasn’t a morsel of food to be found, not even a rat or the likes. A moment of silence passed, but it was he who spoke first, more murmuring to himself than speaking to her, the words spoken in the rough and primal language of drakes. “Hatched already?” A sigh echoed from his cavernous chest. “I didn’t think it would be so soon.”
Taking a few steps back, she shied away from the great wyrm. Hunger was still one of the foremost things on her mind, safety only just passing it. Her stomach rumbled emptily, and she knew instinctively that she wouldn’t stand a chance claw to claw as it was, much less on an empty stomach, so her mind rifled through to the next best option: “Who are you?” she called in a small voice, at least small for her. She wasn’t sure exactly how she knew how to say what she wanted aloud or how she even understood the other dragon to begin with, it just seemed to come naturally for her.
This time the voice that replied was deep and heavy with age and power, but there was something about it that struck a nerve with her. “You might call me a guardian, perhaps you might call me a friend, but if you are asking for my hatching name, then you may call me Zerkodaus.” He paused for a moment. “Are you feeling alright?” There was a kindness in his voice she couldn’t explain, and a familiarity that reached back past her hatching, but still she needed to know for sure it was safe.
“Maybe. What do you want?”
“Just what I asked, to see that you’re alright.”
“Why do you care?” she shot back, “I’m just fine anyways.” A lie, she knew, but instincts screamed that she mustn’t appear weak.
“Oh you are, are you?” he chuckled. Her fib had been in vain. “I am only here to see to your safety. Your father and mo-“
“You know my parents? Where are they?” she interjected with a tinge of hope in her voice.
He didn’t speak for a moment, for in his heart he feared the burden his words might carry, and her hope faded. A moment passed in silence. “If I were to tell you I knew a place where you would be safe and taken care of, would you believe me? And more importantly, would you let me take you there?”
A part of her was wary, but she knew the bind she was in. He was bigger than her by far, and she didn’t know how to take care of herself yet, which left her little choice. And there was something…safe in his tone. “I’ll…I’ll go.”
A genuine smile crossed the golden dragon’s features. “Good. To the skies then shall we?” he inquired with a tilt of his head towards the night sky.
The first few times were tough, and she was sure she would have bruises the next day, but she finally managed to get the hang of it and get skyward. Oh what a feeling! The freedom was exhilarating! It wasn’t long before she was spiraling through the air, dipping and diving only to whoosh back upwards into the air much to the chagrin of her old, golden companion. They flew for hours, and she loved every moment of it, and even more loathed when Zerkodaus gently brought her back down to earth near a small seaside village. The city slept save for a few lamps still lit in their windows as the two touched down and, with a flourish of magical energy, Zerkodaus shrank to a more suitable size, much to the young drake’s amusement.
They traveled over the worn city road of dirt to a small house near the east end of the village where they stopped and Zerkodaus tapped on the door lightly. She could hear the footsteps coming to the door, light and careful without being so deliberately. The wyrmling was somewhat surprised when the door opened to reveal a short, slender woman who looked nothing like herself or Zerkodaus, but instead had a delicate face with gently sloping ears which came to a point above her locks of raven black. She was dressed in a thin shift, but in no way looked as if she’d been sleeping. Even her voice had an inexplicable grace to it. “Heavens, what are you doing out at this hour of the…oh my goodness” she paused as she looked down on the smaller of the two drakes, then back to Zerkodaus. “This is her? The one we found in the market?”
Zerkodaus gave a nod. “She’ll need a place to stay. Somewhere safe.”
“Here?”
“Where better?”
“Don’t you think she’ll, well, stick out a bit?”
A tinge of emotion ran through the wyrmling. Was she being rejected? Was she being left again?
She would never be quite sure how to explain what happened next, for it was like what Zerkodaus had done when they landed in a manner of speaking, and yet entirely different at the same time. One moment she was standing on all fours, the next moment she could feel her body shifting, as if she were changing. Everything suddenly seemed larger and Zerkodaus and the woman were both staring at her. She grimaced against the odd tinge of pain as her silvery-white scales melted away into pale, milky skin, and she could feel her horns shrinking back into her temples as something soft and black sprouted from her forehead in their place, falling in waves in front of her face and down her neck. Her ear frills folded in and curved into small replicas of the woman’s pointed ears. In fact, after a moment she looked almost exactly like a childish version of the woman. When she looked back up, the woman was staring in shock at her, but Zerkodaus was grinning as he spoke. “You were saying, Ezella?”
--
I would come to accept the form I’d taken as what I was. It was just easier that way, and because of it I was finally not alone anymore. I had a mother, Ezella, who raised me as if I was really her own child and loved me the same, and I took to her as if she were really my mother. And I had Zerkodaus, my ever watchful guardian. In time I would come to know him as friend and mentor. I thought it was perfect.
But… Hmm, there’s always a ‘but’, isn’t there…
Secretly I missed the sky and longed for my true identity I had forgotten so long ago. I was hiding behind a façade without even knowing it. Mom and Zerkodaus, though their intentions were good, didn’t help matters. You see, they named me ‘Zuria’ in the elven tongue, which is to say ‘little dragon’ and became Dragona in the Common tongue. On top of that, I would later learn I was naturally able to change shapes, something none of the other children could do without magical aid. I wanted to know why I could do these things that others couldn’t, but when I would ask they would only reply, “Because you’re gifted, Dragona.” It was as if all my life they were hinting at what I’d forgotten and longed for, but wouldn’t give it to me. Perhaps it –was- for my own good, like they said, but that didn’t make it any easier at the time.
My childhood was vague. I do remember being happy then, though, simply because I could belong, and at that point, that was all that really mattered. However, as I began to age the differences subtly became apparent. I didn’t realize it then, but my peers were physically maturing a little faster than me even while I stayed ahead of them mentally, having had a naturally sharp mind since the moment I hatched.
Despite this, though, I lacked the serious outlook of my elven peers. In fact, as I grew into adolescence, I became a bit reckless. First of all, I was a thrill seeker. I loved a good rush of adrenaline from knowing there could be trouble around the bend. And secondly, I always had this insatiable need for gold and pretty things that I couldn’t explain to myself. Well, at least at the time, but I would come to fully understand later. It was because of this that I took up the occupation of thieving. Not from just anybody, mind you. I still had my morals, but if ever there was a crooked dealer at the harbor, or an underhanded sneak in the marketplace…well what was the harm of lightening their purse for the greater good? And, of course, there was always the prospect of finding gold and objects. With my home so close to the forests and the caves along the shore, adventures were a prominent thing with my friends and me, even at a young age. I was a tomboy, plain and simple.
And that was what got me into trouble more than anything.
--
“Hurry up! I can’t hold on much longer!” the frantic hiss echoed from above.
“Hold still, would you? I’ve almost got it.” She was hanging upside down, her companion holding her by her feet as her raven colored ponytail swayed back and forth in sync with her body. Her companion above her kept shifting her hold on Draggy’s feet. It was a wonder she hadn’t dropped her already. “Just a little to the left and…” A light click interrupted her accompanied by the sound of stone scraping against stone. “Ha! Who’s the best? Now pull me up, would you?” A few minutes of straining saw the two girls sitting back to catch their breath as they surveyed their work. The wall of stone that had previously stood before them was now gone as if it had never existed, slid away into a hidden niche in the stonework. “What do you think?” Draggy asked as she looked from her friend to the newly opened passageway.
“I think,” the other girl responded, “that you’re crazy.” She looked almost human, just reaching young adulthood with sugar brown hair pulled back in a ponytail like Dragona’s, but Sadie had more muscle on her frame than the elven girl, was taller by a few inches, had striking sky blue eyes the likes of which Draggy had never seen before, and had rounded points on her ears instead of the delicate points Draggy wore. “Why couldn’t I just lower you down there?”
Draggy scoffed. “Haven’t I taught you anything about treasure hunting?” she quipped, dusting sand from her shirt and trousers. She took on her professional tone, as if she were the absolute authority on the subject. “There could be traps! By lowering me upside down instead, I didn’t risk touching the bottom and triggering something. Duh!” she added with a grin all her own. “Besides, where’s the adventure in that? It was much more exciting to work on it upside-down.”
Sadie just rolled her eyes. “Next time, then, you get to hold me instead,” she replied, tossing over a knapsack as she took up her own and pushed to her feet. Draggy flailed to catch it and pull it over her shoulders. “Come on, slowpoke. Last one inside is ogre chow!” she called with a dash towards the entrance.
“Hey wait up!” she called at Sadie’s back, scrambling to her feet and jogging to catch up. Both girls skidded to a stop just inside the cavern. “Whoa…”
“Yeah…” came the murmured response as both girls stared at the inside. The cavern was much larger than it appeared on the outside.
“What do you think is inside?”
“I dunno, but maybe we shouldn’t mess with it.”
“Aw come on!” Draggy taunted. “You aren’t going to chicken out on me now, are you? Imagine what might be inside!”
“But…our parents! They’ll be worried if we’re not home in time.”
“Gold, Sadie.”
“But…”
“Real gold that actually buys things!”
“Yeah, but won’t…”
“Anything you want…including that pendant you were fawning over.”
Her friend was silent for a moment. “Really?” A nod came in response. “Well, alright I guess. But we can’t go far! We have to be home before dusk.”
“Yes, mother.” You could practically hear her eyes rolling. “Well don’t just stand there.” she quipped, nudging her friend as she took a step forward. “Let’s g-whoaaaaaah!” Her shrill scream echoed as the floor dropped from beneath her, sending her flying down a chute and was cut short by a dull thunk as if she’d hit something moderately soft at the bottom.
“Draggy!? Draggy, are you alright!?” Sadie called down frantically, dropping to her knees over the opened trap door.
A moment of silence passed, and then “Ow…I’m alright,” echoed up the chute bringing an audible sigh of relief from Sadie.
“You might trigger a trap, huh?” Sadie called down mockingly.
“Oh shush, you.” Draggy called back up. She had landed in the passageway where the chute let out, and from the way her voice echoed it seemed like it must be a pretty large passageway. It seemed just like any other passageway, though, except for one thing: it was unbearably hot and stuffy. She reached for her knapsack figuring she would have to find a source of light so she could see, calling up in the meanwhile, “Well, what are you waiting for, come on down here!”
“Are you crazy!?” echoed the reply through the chute from above.
A grin crossed Draggy’s features as she replied. “Yes, what’s your point?” An audible sigh of despair drifted down through the tunnel from above. “Oh come on, scaredy cat. I have to find a way out this way anyways, unless you have a bright idea on how to get me back up there.”
A moment’s silence, then, “Fine, fine. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Dusting sand off her knapsack, she opened it up and fished about inside until she found her flint and the torch she’d packed and set about lighting it. The scraping from up above told her Sadie was trying to work up the courage to come down. Finally getting the torch lit, she turned and glanced up the tunnel as best she could calling out, “Just do it! Don’t think about it,” and shaking her head at her friend’s fear. She was still smirking as she turned and was met by a pair of large, brass pupils on a draconic face characterized by a grand, smooth head plate, sleek cheekbones with horns on the chin, and supple, expressive lips. Her smirk quickly faded as her eyes widened. Try as she might, her feet didn’t want to move and her mouth couldn’t work up anything more than a soft stammer. Well, at least until the dragon opened its mouth and said, “Well hello there. Don’t you look lovely today! To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” That was all it took to have her shrieking at the top of her lungs. From up above there was a muffled sound like a foot slipping on stone before a second shriek joined hers along with the skid of cloth on stone as Sadie slid down the chute and tumbled out right into Draggy, sprawling them both out on the dirt floor.
The dragon pulled back in surprise, “Was it something I said?”
--
It wasn’t long before the two girls and the dragon, Talkierisamyrc, or simply Tal, found their way back to the surface, their eyes working to adjust to the falling sunlight as the brass colored wyrm continued to jabber. “Doesn’t she ever shut up?” Draggy groaned to her friend.
“I guess not. It’s amazing she hasn’t run out of breath yet…” Sadie murmured, bringing a smile and a light giggle from her elven companion as the dragon once again changed subjects without missing a beat.
“...but he had no respect for conversation the daft fellow. I never could understand humans like that and my you look like…” The dragon paused for a split second to look again before exclaiming, “Oh you are! Zerkodaus’ charge! I thought I recognized you…”
“What?!” Draggy interrupted. “Wait a second…how do you…”
The dragon chuckled, picking up as if it had never quit talking. Her ability to do so was driving both girls mad. “Serastyn, our Council Seat, says he talks about you all the time at Council all the time! Dragona this, Dragona that, and says you’re a ‘special elf’ and asks us good-hearted dragons to keep an eye on you if we see you and…”
”Wait! Whoa…he who? Council? Special? Keep an eye on me why? How do you know all of this?”
“Zerkodaus, of course! You have to put those ears to good use, girl! Oh I imagine he’ll be tickled pink to know you’ve an adventurous streak, but he does worry so about your safety. Of course, Zerkodaus is notorious for being a worrier. Why did you know he…”
“Tal!” Draggy shouted in exasperation. It seemed like teaching an orc manners would be easier than keeping her on one subject for more than five seconds, and stopping her from talking for one second was even worse. Even at the yell she kept going on, oblivious to the two girls.
“…why it drives Rezkrah absolutely insane the way he does sometimes. I’d wager…”
Draggy glanced to Sadie, the half-elven girl giving a shrug of her shoulders at the babbling dragon. Can’t hurt to try one more time… she thought, lifting her voice. “TAL!”
“…although I bet…what?” She didn’t even seem to realize, or at least seem to care, that she’d been interrupted.
“Finally…” Sadie murmured as Dragona spoke up in the brief silence.
“Tal, what do mean I’m a ‘special elf’? Why does Zerk want me looked after?”
“Ohhhh, that!” Tal said, and took in a breath as if she were fixing to read an entire novel aloud without pausing. “Well, see, he says you’re like us and all, although I’m not exactly sure how or what he means. I do have a good idea, though, and I’m sure Serastyn knows, she’s our council member, you know. Has been for quite a few centuries, Io bless her scales. Why, I’m sure she could tell you all about that and a lot of things, especially organic treasures. She considers herself the expert mind on such, and she does know a great deal about them, but I’m sure…”
Both girls sighed in unison. “We’ll never get anywhere with her at this rate…” Sadie murmured. Dragona opened her mouth, fully ready to suggest they sneak away, when out of the babble of conversation one sentence stood out.
“…here, why don’t I take you to the Council. They’d be thrilled to have the guests I’m sure! You know Nyaarn…”
Both girls shouted practically in unison, “NO!” halting the dragon mid-sentence.
“No? But why ever not?”
“Well…I”
“We…um…”
“Look at the time! Mum will be worried sick! Gotta jet!” Sadie blurted, taking off at a full run back towards the village before anyone could interject.
“Um, yeah, my Mum always worries too!” Draggy tried as an excuse and turned to make her escape.
Tal was only too happy to stop her and reply, “Oh, your Mom, Ezella if memory serves…yes, she should be at the Grand Halls so far as I know. Well, that settles that. I’ll just take you right to her. You know, Ezella told me once…”
The elf groaned to herself as she was lifted into the sky. Gods… why do you hate me?
--
Looking back on myself then, I can’t help but laugh. Something always seemed to go wrong, usually much to my embarrassment and chagrin. After all, no one wants to have a brass talk them to death, but especially not while knowing they’re about to hear ‘the speech’ from their parent for running off and getting into things they shouldn’t. Looking back I almost wish I hadn’t worried Mom so much in my adolescence. She was always so kind and caring, firm when needed, but never angry that I remember, and sometimes I think I took advantage of that…but well, the past is the past. Now I was off to face the first major turning point in my life: The Dracunion Council.
--
The Halls were amazing. Built right into the side of the mountain, they were carved out of the natural rock and built into a solid foundation. From that alone, one would have thought the structure would be rugged and uncivilized, but it was quite the opposite. It featured sweeping columns that had to be a hundred or more feet high carved to resemble great dragons holding up the ceiling, wide arcs and graceful archways that made Dragona seem like a fly against a wide open sky by their size, solid walls built from iridescent granite that changed color with the angle it was viewed at, floors overlaid in marble enhanced with protective magic to prevent clawed feet from scratching the precious stone, statues in precious metals, tapestries the seemed to be of impossible size spread along the walls, wide set doors of stone carved with great reliefs of all manner of things that seemed as if they should be impossible to move, and that was just the first hall. She couldn’t help but stop and stare at the myriad of things decorating the room, and quite often would realize suddenly that her draconic guide, who was now babbling the history of the Great Hall’s making, was getting far enough ahead of her so that she had to run to catch up. The great stone doors stood closed, but as they neared, she could just barely hear the buzz of conversation from the other side. Amazingly, Tal went silent after she finished her tale about the golden statue resembling Zerkodaus in the corner. Draggy seized the opportunity and called up, “Now what?”
“Huh? Oh…now we wait.”
Draggy arched a brow. “We can’t just, you know…go in?”
The dragon chuckled. “Oh…oh dear no. I imagine that would get the council in quite an uproar. You see there are customs that must be…”
Dragona tilted her head, propping her hands on her hips. “Oh come on. A bunch of old geezers with scales and wings…what are they gonna do, wheeze on me?”
The brass tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well…you could say that. I mean technically it’s the same thing, well except that it wouldn’t be actual breath…more like…”
“Alright alright…I get it…” Draggy sighed, praying to the gods for silence, or just a moment’s respite from the babbling. This whole waiting deal was absolutely killing her. She wished that she could barge in and get it over with, or just run and hide. She needed some way to pass the time and stay calm, so she turned and wandered back towards one of the murals on the multicolored wall that had attracted her attention, running her delicate hands along the outline of a dragon soaring through the sky. Without even thinking she asked aloud, “What’s it like?”
Tal turned towards her, claws clicking against the marble and she sauntered over. “Huh? What’s …ohhhh.” For a moment Draggy had a sinking feeling she would regret letting her brain go on auto-pilot for that brief second, but to her relief and slight surprise the dragon answered with a question. “What do you think it’s like?”
For a moment she stared at the picture and she thought she could almost feel warm air flowing across her neck…at least until she realized it was just Tal breathing on her and her own imagination, and gave a sigh. “I dunno, but I think it would be amazing to be able to go anywhere, just to glide through the clouds without a care in the world. I mean, I can just imagine being able to smell the scent of rain in the clouds, the freshness of the air, the freedom of no boundaries. It has to be wonderful!”
“Mmmm, I’ve not heard anyone describe it like that in a long time. Sometimes we get so accustomed to what we have that we forget the beauty of it.”
Draggy looked up partly in surprise. “How so? I mean, how could you forget something like that? Something that seems so…amazing.”
“Well, let’s put it another way. You’re nearing your ninetieth birthday, right?” Draggy gave a nod and the drake continued. “If you were human, you would likely be dead or dying from old age, yet you’re only a young adult. You’ve probably never thought about that, have you.”
“Hmm, I guess I haven’t really, but I don’t get it. What does that have to do with flying?”
“Simple. You’ll live a lot longer than a human, right? But a human doesn’t have nearly so much time as you, something they envy greatly. To you it’s just the way things are that you’ll live long and they won’t, but to them they wonder and imagine how great it would be and what it actually would be like to live hundred of years. It’s the same way with flying. You can’t fly right now, but I can. To me being able to fly is just a natural thing, something that I’ve known since I was a hatchling, but to you the sky is a big wide unknown, something you can only imagine what it’s like. I may take it for granted sometimes that I can fly. For you it’s a novel experience and you wonder if you’ll ever get to feel what it’s like. Don’t worry, though. I know you’ll get your chance to dance with the wind one of these days.”
For a moment the elven girl held a ponderous expression. “Maybe I will, I sure hope so.”
“And I hope that it’s every bit of the freedom and exhilaration you imagine it as,” Tal replied with a friendly smile.
“I’m still confused about one thing, though. What do you mean by you “know” I’ll get my chance one of these days?”
Tal was silent for a moment before she replied. “Well…do you dream of flying a lot?”
“Yeah, all the time. It always seems so real, too.”
“Well, some people say that your dreams are a mental manifestation of not only past memories, but also of your future aspirations. In other words, they’re what you will strive for the hardest in life.”
“Oh. I think I see what you mean.”
Tal just smiled at her, almost in a pitying way.
--
So many secrets…so many lies. In my heart I longed for my true self, that freedom to be me that I so strongly equated with flying. Tal did know my hidden secret, the truth that had been shrouded and locked away even from myself, a façade that I had started and my guardians had encouraged until the fiction became fact in my mind. How I wish that the next part of my story was where I finally grasped my true self and figured out who I was. Instead, it was another layer of lies to decorate the mask I wore.
--
It was a while before the council’s session ended, long enough that Tal had talked the poor elven girl to sleep with the back story of every artifact and carving in the first hall and had to wake her when the stone doors opened, allowing a myriad of elder dragons to file out. Few bothered to look at the pair as they passed, but those who did either held a haughty glance as if looking at a speck of dirt, or that same look Draggy had seen in Tal’s smile earlier. Draggy wasn’t half noticing them, though. She was standing behind Tal and watching the door like a hawk from her spot peering around the bronze dragon’s leg. “She’s going to kill me…and if she doesn’t, he will.”
Tal chuckled. “Oh you’re a sight. Neither of them are going to kill you. Be worried perhaps…”
“That’s exactly the point!” Draggy hissed. Tal blinked in confusion, and the young elf groaned. “Ok, look…it’s like this. If Mom’s worried, she’ll keep tabs on everywhere I go. Same with Zerk. And if they’re both worried…well let’s just say I won’t be going anywhere that they won’t know about. And if that’s the case, well I may as well be dead,” the elven girl groaned. Tal chuckled again, and Draggy was about to demand to know what was so funny when a silvery glow was seen from the doorway just before her mom walked out with Zerkodaus dwarfing her as he followed right behind.
The first immediate thought that crossed Draggy’s mind was to hide. She could probably sneak away before anyone noticed easily enough, but something told her she’d have to face it sooner or later, and later might be worse, so she sighed resignedly and moved forward to the two familiar figures, pausing once to glance back at Tal for a glance of the dragon’s reassuring smile, and then gathering herself to speak.
“Mom?”
“Zuria! What are you doing here? Is everything alright?”
No, it’s not that. Everything’s fine, I’m fine, I just…” She searched for the words, but she wasn’t sure what to say. When she heard Tal’s voice from behind her, it was a mixed feeling of being relieved, and wanting to grimace.
“Your little daughter is quite the adventurer, Ezella. She found her way right into my cave.”
Her mother took on that serious look as she looked back at her daughter, her arms folding in front of her, and any sense of relief Draggy had felt flew out the door. What was worse was the look on Zerkodaus’ face, a look of deep worry that she knew meant trouble for her plans of adventuring. Her mother was the first to speak. “An adventurer is she? I think you and I are going to have to have a talk about these adventures of yours, young lady.”
“Aww, but Mom!”
“No buts, Dragona.” Zerkodaus intervened. “You can’t just go wondering off and getting into everything.”
She wasn’t sure why, but something in her, perhaps that need for freedom, snapped. “And why not? I’m almost an adult, doesn’t that count for anything? Or are you going to baby me for the rest of my life?”
“Dragona!” came the surprised exclamation from Zerkodaus at the same moment her mom said.
“Zuria, mind your tone!”
Tal simply looked scandalized.
“NO! I deserve an answer. For once in my life, I deserve an answer!” Part of her immediately regretted the words for the look that came over both Zerkodaus’ and her mother’s face. She would have almost thought it was guilt, especially when both of them went silent. The part of her which felt so wronged delighted in this guilty silence, and fueled her to press on. “See? See what I mean? You never tell me anything! I’m so sick of it!” She growled as she turned and ran out of the hall.
--
Sick of it was certainly the right phrase, but moreso I was confused. I was nearly an adult, and I didn’t even know who I was, so I sat on the cliff edge, outside the Great Hall, and wept with my knees curled to my chest. My tears were hot and angry at first, but they quickly turned sad and empty. I couldn’t even explain to myself why the conversation had turned like it had, from me being the ashamed and guilty party, to somehow making Zerkodaus and my mother the guilty ones. All those feelings had just surfaced out of nowhere and surged through me, driving me to action. It was one adrenaline rush that I didn’t enjoy so much in the end, but looking back I do think it was for the best because after that, things did change.
I have always wondered just what went on in those chambers after I left. Tal eventually came and took me for a ride to clear my head before dropping me off at home where I went to bed. But I’m sure Mom didn’t get home until later that night, which does make me wondering just what did happen?
--
A heavy, rumbling sigh echoed across the hall as Zerkodaus watched the young elf run from the halls. “What have we done, Ezella?” The elven woman beside him shook her head in a silent reply as they watched.
“I should go…” Ezella started, then stopped with a sigh. “No, it would only make things worse.”
Tal looked to them both. “Let me. I’ll take her for a little ride, have a chat, and then take her home. She’ll be fine, I promise.” The gold wyrm and elf both nodded, and Tal made her way out to the huddled, distant form of Dragona. After a short moment, they flew off into the sky.
Within the Great Hall, Ezella was the first to break the silence. “That’s what she wants, you know. Her freedom, nothing more, nothing less.”
“I understand that, but what choice do we have? You know the circumstances as well as I do.”
“You mean Sitharticus.”
Zerkodaus nodded grimly. “I’m certain he’s the reason her birth mother is dead. I can only hope the same isn’t true for Fier.”
“Her father?”
“Hmmm, yes. He hasn’t been seen in sometime, not since before her hatching at least. I just pray to Io he’s still alive.”
“And if he isn’t?”
“Then the situation is even worse. Fier told me a thing or two about Sitharticus. Their fued runs deep, deep enough it seems that, given half a chance, he would go after a child of Fier’s. Which is the exact reason I brought her here. My hope is that he doesn’t know she’s alive, and I fully intend to keep it that way.” He paused for a moment, lowering his tone to an angry growl, “Enough dragons have died at his hands.”
Ezella sighed. “You can’t, though. You can’t shelter her for forever. It would be wrong and you know it.”
“That’s not true…”
“Yes it is! Zerkodaus, you may as well lock her in a prison cell for the rest of her life. What you suggest would be the same to her.” The great gold gave a deep sigh, his face drawn into an expression that said he knew she was right, but still didn’t want to give up. “Think of it this way, if we don’t give her the freedom she’s looking for, she’ll take it one way or another. Now you tell me which option sounds better in the long run.”
“I know…I know, Ezella. You are right, but still…I don’t think she’s ready for the full truth yet.”
“I don’t know how much longer we can keep up this façade! She’s going to figure it out sooner or later. The subtle changes won’t be so subtle forever.”
“Yes, but…perhaps there is still a way. A way that she can discover her identity herself, and yet stay hidden for just a while longer.” Ezella raised a brow. “Think, Ezella. Remember back to the first night I brought her to you and remember how she changed. There was no magery to it, but more so it was as if she has a natural penchant for taking different shapes, mimicking other forms and shaping them to her whims. If you remember, when I brought her to you, she mimicked your own form, except that she was a young child instead of mimicking your adult shape.”
“Yes, I see what you mean, but still, how do you propose to use that?”
The great dragon grinned. “By giving her what she wants without letting her know she has it. Oh don’t look so baffled, Ezella. You’ll see what I mean. You’ll see.”
--
The next morning, when I woke up, Zerkodaus was waiting for me. All that dread came flooding back. I was just sure I was going to get some sort of punishment for the events of the previous night, but instead he offered to teach me. He wouldn’t say what, but instead led me out to a field beyond the village where the grass grew tall and the children usually played their various games. That day, though, it was just Zerkodaus and I. I wasn’t sure what he was up to, and I still had that knot of dread in my stomach, but do you remember that change I spoke of? This was it…literally.
--
“Why are we here?” she asked for at least the hundredth time, but her elder draconic companion merely grinned at her as he’d done for the other ninety-nine.
“Just trust me, Dragona. Here we are…now, you wanted some answers, so I’ll give you some answers.”
Draggy crossed her arms and muttered, “This had better be good.”
“Ah ah ah…you can’t listen if you’re speaking. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the ability to change shapes.”
“Yes, but what does…” She was cut off by a single claw rising.
“It has to do with you because you can do that.”
Draggy raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Considering I’m still here and not off at ‘wizard school’ or wherever they teach that stuff, I’m not following you here…”
“Dragona, not all things require magic to be possible. Take a dragon for example, there’s nothing magical about the fact that I can breathe fire. I can breathe fire because of a gland called the draconis fundamentum. Though that is another lesson entirely, so back to the subject.”
“I still don’t see what you mean.”
“Think of it as a natural ability, one that doesn’t require any outside help, just your own innate talents.”
“Well, alright. If I can do what you say I can do, then how?”
“Ahh, now you’re getting to the heart of things. That is why we’re here. I’m going to teach you how to tap into that ability to change your shape and use it. Now, first you have to use your imagination. Imagine the form you wish to change into, the more detail the better.” He watched as she closed her eyes. “Good, keep concentrating. As you concentrate more and more on the form and it becomes clearer in your mind, you should feel…”
He was cut off by a shriek as Dragona shook her arms vigorously. “What’s going on? Make it stop!” Visibly, the only sign of anything at all was a tremor over her skin as if it was a liquid surface that had been disturbed.
Zerkodaus held a bemused look. “Stay calm, stay calm. It’s going to be odd at first, and it may even hurt a bit, but that just because you aren’t used to it.”
“HURT?! You never said anything about it hurting!”
“Oh it’s not that bad, you have to trust me though. Now come on. Concentrate on the form and keep your focus on it as you feel the changes happen. if you lose your concentration, then the change won’t complete itself.”
After a moment, Draggy gave a resigned sigh muttering to herself, then closed her eyes and focused on what she wanted to change into. Well that seemed easy enough. She wanted to fly, that much was easy, and since she had a clear picture standing in front of her, she decided she would try for a dragon. She focused on the form, a sleek head and snout lined with protective scales, two perfect, straight horns, a long tail behind her, and the wings…two gigantic wings to carry her long, sinuous body aloft. She focused, the image becoming clearer in her mind, and she felt her skin …ripple. That was the only way to describe it. She tried her hardest to keep her concentration as another ripple ran down her spine this time and she found herself a bit more hunched over. A shudder of her insides sent her to her knees and she very nearly lost the image. Then came the first stab of pain…like a burning hot knife shoved into her spine it ran through her limbs, paralyzing her voice where she wanted to scream. The throbbing pulsed in her ears and she shook her head trying desperately to get rid of it, finally managing to get a shriek through her frozen vocal chords. The image broke and she lost any concentration she had left, dropping to the ground to suck in gulps of air, her eyes tightly shut.
Zerkodaus’ shadow quickly drew over her form as he looked down at her, his voice rife with worry. “Are you alright?”
She held up a hand and he stepped back to give her space. Finally she drew up to her knees, rubbing her forehead. “It may hurt a bit, huh?”
Zerkodaus smiled in relief. “Well, I never said it would be easy, did I? Now,” he said, offering her a claw to help her to her feet, “ready to give it another try?”
--
Try I did, and by the end of the day, exhausted and drenched in sweat, muscles throbbing from the effort…well, I at least managed to turn my skin scaly and form a pair of shriveled wings. And, of course, Zerkodaus told me to be patient that it would come in time.
He was right. As I managed to get closer and closer to accomplishing the full change, I became more and more determined, not to mention it did get easier with practice, and eventually the shifting of my bones and rippling of my skin really didn’t bother me…at least, not –as- much. The stabs of pain, which Zerkodaus told me was from my body adapting to the changes, got better the more I practiced too, which only served to push me harder towards my goal.
Then, finally after weeks of trying and failing, I was able to do it. I made the complete shift from the elven form I wore to the draconic form I strived for. Boy did I ever celebrate…with a soaring sweep through the sky, once I managed to get off the ground and into the air. I had begun to find myself, though I didn’t really realize it just then. The façade wasn’t gone quite yet.
You see, when I inquired about how and why I was able to do this miraculous thing, the reply was a variant of what I had heard my entire life. “This is why you’re special, Dragona.”
Well, I’ll hand it to them. It was at least a half-truth, and at the time it was enough for me.
With my newfound ability and my penchant for needing adventure, I felt like I could conquer the multiverse, something which Mom and Zerkodaus seemed to quickly pick up on. I’ve always had a feeling that was why they sent me to Juxta, crossroads of the multiverse. But as had so often become a fact in my life, that was only half the truth.
So you want to know the rest, then?
