W.R.E.N.

Marcarise

The cave seemed colder as I stepped into it. Shea was glued to my side. I had the feeling it would take a war to remove him from it. I smirked over at him, but said nothing. We were equals now, in some ways. Valkor looked up at me, his golden eyes dark with pain. It had been close to seventeen years, yet each day, each hour, each second, each breath from that moment to this has been laced with pain. My mother's death destroyed apart of him. He clung to me to live. I walked up to him.

Slowly I knelt before him. He raised his regal head. To me he always looked a mix of professions. He dressed the part of the prepared perfect teacher. Nice dress shirt, sleek crisp pants, but his hair was always wind tossed and slightly wild, as if he had just come from a wonderful flight.

"It will not ease your pain, nor will it give you back anything you lost, but it will strike in me the purpose for which I was born. I am my mother's son, and I vow to avenge her death, the death of my siblings and to end this hatred." I whispered.

"The only way for you to do that, orphan Zyn, is to take your rightful place." Valkor stated.

"I have no place." I whispered.

"Kara doesn't have the fortitude of heart to rule. She would be ruled by the people or the dragons themselves. You, Zyn, child of dragons, you were always meant for greater things." His eyes grew distant. "Sit, let me explain." We took our seats. Cordgi and Tempest had cooked the meat and divided up the food. We each had a fair share as we sat back in a semi circle around the red haired fire dragon.

"I felt her the moment my egg traversed the sea. The ship I was on was to take me to the king's castle. I was to be placed into he royal hatchery until my knight was born. But, she already existed in this world. I felt her soul sync with mine as the ship came into port to restock. I hatched there in that hold, mewing out my cry for her. The handler found me. He was shocked a fire dragon hatched on an island of water. He carried me above deck. He was going to take me to the captain to see what he should do with me. But, she was there. She had come to the waters edge with her elder siblings to watch the boats come in, a favored past time. As I felt her, she had sensed me.

As the man carrying me walked past where she watched, I threw myself at her. I didn't know there was water still between us. I fell into the water at the docks. My body was weak, I couldn't pull myself above the water. She dove in at the same time I had fallen. Her arms came around me as the sea itself parted for us. Her elder siblings were holding back the water so I could breath. I had found my other half. Her smile was glorious as we walked from the water.

Our life was a simple one. Marcarise was almost thirteen when I found her. We were bonded immediately since she was royal blood. We lived on the islands. Devonia was a series of islands. It was a happy delightful place. Everyone worked together to help each other. The royal family took the same hits in food or shelter or anything else the others in their domain felt. Their home was always open to any who needed shelter.

Years went past. Marcarise learned our power, we grew strong together. We helped protect the islands. The water knights dealt with the storms, we were there if fire broke out. We knew our place and we strove to be the best we could. Neither of us wanted to ever leave this land. Our hearts were born here, connected here, everything we loved was here.

One day, a ship came in bearing the royal flags. Marcarise always loved to watch the ships. We had been delayed in getting to the harbor, a fire broke out in a barn that someone had placed wet hay in. We went to assist as we always did. Once it was out and the situation under control, we were heading to the harbor, but the Queen's dragon commanded us to all return home.

As a fire knight, she was rebellious by nature." He paused here, a smile touching his thin lips. Shea snorted as his booted foot kicked my ankle. I glared at him. I wasn't rebellious! I saw the answer in his eyes. Huffing I turned away as those watching each tried to hide their laugh.