Water Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Sixteen - Darien

Darien sat next to his father in silence, trying to do his best to not worry about Tai, as they rode upon his brother Brian's back. She's going to be okay without me, right? I think I made it clear that running away was a bad idea, but what if she was just saying she'd stay to humor me? If I'm not there, she could hypothetically get a good head start. He scowled. Don't get any ideas, Tai.

His brother was in his dragon form, and he was the chosen transport for the family's journey. Of all his brothers, Brian was the largest when he was transformed, so it made sense to let him be their ride so they could conserve their magical energy. And while Darien was certainly grateful for his brother's sacrifice, he also felt bad for Brian. When it came to pure amount of magical power, Brian had the least. He would be exhausted when they arrived. Darien could have easily carried his father and the three brothers who had gone on the trip despite having a much smaller body. And he'd barely feel a thing doing it. His father had insisted, and it was never wise to go against his wishes.

"So, Dad, what's this all about? Can I get a heads up, so I know what to expect when we land?" Darien raised an eyebrow, challenging his father. I want to decide for myself if all of this is worth my time, or if he's only putting me through some kind of test.

"You're persistent," Orion commented with a lowered voice. "A quality I wish I had myself. You obviously did not inherit it from me."

Darien had to squeeze his eyes shut to keep from rolling them. "I think you're plenty persistent. After all, you were able to keep prodding me until I gave in. You have to be, otherwise you wouldn't have been appointed as the Great Dragon Lord. I know part of the title is inherited, but Grandpa did pick you specifically for a reason. He didn't have to."

"Yes, and it wasn't because I'm good at getting what I want," his father stated. "Your Uncle Arthur would have made a much better Great Dragon Lord than me, but it was apparently my fate to take this role in life."

"Fate?"

"Yes, it is a term humans use to describe the feeling when the events of their life, even the negative ones, have a purpose or meaning or divine appointment of some kind."

"I know what fate means, don't insult my intelligence like that. I just don't know why you think it was yours to be appointed."

"Well, why wouldn't it be?"

With a quiet groan, Darien leaned forward to rest his head in both of his hands. "You're rabbit trailing from my question. I don't want to talk about fate, or how I'm like her." That's what his father was actually getting at, and it was a conversation Darien wanted to avoid having if possible. He hated hearing about it.

"She is your mother Darien, and you should address her as such," Orion replied stiffly. "I don't think you would take it too kindly if I referred to your wife in a similar fashion. It's disrespectful."

This time, Darien did roll his eyes. If his father caught the gesture, he didn't say anything about it. Nothing in his body language suggested he did. He held himself in the same disappointed, sad, and frustrated fashion he always did whenever he was with his youngest son. Because it wasn't like Darien ever did anything right in his eyes.

"I don't want to fight with you," his father said after a moment of silence passed. "I want your opinion. I need your advice."

"On what?" Darien asked. He almost laughed at the idea. "Can't say I've been keeping up on current events in the dragon realm. Definitely not beyond the city, and if I'm being honest, not much besides the score of the Serpents game or the weather." His answer was the wrong one. Orion hung his head and shook it slowly, and Darien added the moment to the long list of other instances he'd been able to inspire such a gesture. "Sorry I'm such a failure," he mumbled sourly. His failure hit him doubly hard since he was already doing it miserably with Tai as well. Was he ever going to catch a break?