Kingdoms of Isolation

The Hunt Begins

Aspen melts into the hug, only pulling away when Zander's voice echoes, "Fine. Go with her and never return." She turns around and locks eyes with him, wrinkling her nose.

"You don't need me." The young fairy steps away from her sister and walks over to Camilia, "It was nice meeting you." She puts a hand on her nose and rests her forehead against the dragon's. A grumble emanates from the back of Camilia's throat, causing Aspen to smile sincerely, "I hope we can meet again sometime."

Camilia shifts back into her human form, a white summer dress blowing in the breeze as she smiles, "Have a good day, Aspen. I hope we can see each other again too." After a second of the girls smiling at each other, Camilia pulls Aspen into a quick hug and apologizes for her part in their fight. The fairy nods in forgiveness before turning to Zander.

The older dragon meets Aspen's gaze, "Bye, Aspen." His words are hard and his eyes are full of hidden meanings.

Confusion flashes across Aspen's face as she looks into his eyes, "Don't say it that way." As he goes silent and darts his gaze from her, she sighs, "Goodbye, Zander." She speaks quietly, determined that this will be the final farewell.

Zander glances at her one last time before turning to Camilia, "I'll miss you." His words are quiet and soft as he gestures to his sister and shifts. Aspen watches him, a flood of emotions swamping her features. She waves to Camilia once before returning to Lilith. She reaches her sister and hugs her once more, ready to begin her new life as part of a family.

As the two sisters begin to walk away, a small roar from Camilia stops them. They turn around to see that Camilia is once more her golden dragon. The dragon whips her tail around and yanks a scale from her hide, wincing. She tosses it to Aspen in a gesture of friendship and the fairy grins from ear to ear. The older girl picks up the scale and tucks it under her cloak, lifting her hand in one last wave. At her wave, Camilia takes to the skies, her mighty wings lifting her up to where Zander waits. With one last look at the siblings, Aspen intertwines her fingers with Lilith's and allows for her to lead her home.

Lilith smiles at her sister as they begin their walk, "So, Aspen. You care for that dragon boy, do you not?"

The younger girl smiles bashfully and her face flushes red, "I-I don't know." She hesitates before adding, "He has a girlfriend. She tried to capture me."

"Well then maybe that is good. I do not trust that boy. He is dangerous." The blue-eyed woman looks down at Aspen, still amazed that she found her, "You may not remember me, but I remember you. You were an adorable baby with huge green eyes. You even had little tufts of red hair curling off your head. I loved playing with you. I missed you so much when you were gone. I am sorry I could not find you sooner. But I am here now. I am here to be a big sister that will walk through the rest of life with you."

Aspen's smile grows as tears come to her eyes. She pulls her sister into yet another hug as she asks, "Thank you. I'm so happy you found me. What are our parents like?"

"They are tough, but good parents overall." Worry flashes across Lilith's face before she closes her eyes and concentrates, calling to her mother. When a blue ring opens in front of them, Aspen gasps and leaps away, "Calm, it is just a transportation fairy. They can make portals."

As Lilith guides Aspen through the portal, a short red-headed woman stands next to a tall, dark haired man. Lilith introduces them and points to each in turn, "This is Shayla, our mother, and Relden, our father. We are the Becketts."

Aspen stares at each one, overwhelmed with an assortment of new sights, sounds, and smells. The grand entrance hall that she is in has a large staircase winding up to the balcony and second floor. The floor and walls are sparkling white marble with pitch black accents. The chattering of fairies all over the room hits her ears, hundreds of conversations happening at once. They are sprawled across couches or simply standing in various areas. The smell of freshly baked pie wafts from an adjacent room and her mouth waters. She freezes in sensory overload but is brought back to the present by a warm hand on her arm. As she looks to the side, Lilith's warm gaze reassures her to redirect her attention to her parents.