Watty's Shortlist 2023
"I have been waiting a long time to meet you."
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When two warring kingdoms hear of a magical object that will end the conflict once and for all, two rival heirs embark on a quest to retrieve it and bring their...
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Aila's heart skipped a beat.
"You caused the war?" She asked in bewilderment. "But how?"
Ember sighed, and warmth entered his tone as he began to speak.
"I have a younger sister. We used to fly together all the time." He began. "As the humans started to want more from us, our parents warned us not to go alone, especially to the waterfall, which was our favourite place."
An endearing image of a young dragon splashing in the water with his little sister flashed before Aila's vision; it brought a bittersweet feeling seeing as though it was clear this story didn't have a happy ending.
Yet.
"What's your sister's name?" Aila questioned, attempting to shield Ember from disappearing too far into his story.
"Splint," he replied with a fond, yet sad smile. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"We were racing along the ravine, a path we both know so well that we'd even done it with our eyes closed before, as part of a dare. There was a sharp turning and something startled my sister, causing her wing to collide with a jagged rock. She lost her balance and fell... I tried to catch her but there wasn't enough time. The humans got to her first. I could've used my fire breath, Aila I should've used my damn fire breath but I was too scared and I didn't want to hurt them and I didn't know what the consequences would be..."
Aila placed a hand on his arm, stroking soothing circles to try and calm his agitated mind. His red eyes flicked to the gesture and he released a warm puff of air through his nostrils.
Though they had just met, she felt as if she had known him for a long time and right then, all she could see was a young man blaming himself for something that he had had no control over.
"If I could rewind time, I'd incinerate all of them without hesitation," he whispered, a quiet rage lacing every word.
Aila squeezed his arm. "What did you do?"
"I shifted and tried to fight them off but there were too many. My magic hadn't fully developed yet and I hadn't had enough training. They knocked me out and they took her away." A tear tracked down his face and Ember hastily brushed it away, a steel will taking place in his eyes as he lifted his gaze from the floor and met Aila's green eyes.
"I couldn't go after her because of the laws. Humans weren't considered a threat to dragons so they were allowed in our territory, but we've always been regarded as a dangerous species so there are wards in place to prevent us from entering the human lands." Defeat lined his words, a pain so deep that Aila could feel his story, his helpless situation resonating within herself.
"I know they've got her in Perador but I don't know where exactly."
