Flying For Freedom

Chapter two (Hopeful and Hopeless)

It is Claw and I's hour off. I plan to spend it with mom, so I look for my mother. It is the time where we can visit other areas, and one of the few times that my mother has time for fun. She doesn't expect Claw, who she nicknamed Rebel since she was five, or me to do anything beyond the capabilities of normal dragons our age.

We are young, and can't do any of the very cool things. When other species think of a dragon, they think of a mighty beast that could destroy the entire world if it wanted. I am not at that level yet. When I'm older, I'll be able to breath white hot fire, fly in the clouds, and lift boulders. For now, I'm stuck with the abilities of a very young dragon. And without the ability to use powers, I can't do any of the amazing things that my dad can. He's multiple centuries old. So is Malice.

But my dad expects me to know it all. He wants me to do it all. If I miss pronounce a word in front of King, he will correct me immediately. He will tell me to go look it up in the dictionary at the library, to memorize it all. He wants me to train until I can defeat every enemy, move every mountain. I don't want to live like that. I want him to look at me, and tell me I did great, that I'm making progress.

If I make a mistake in front of my mom, she explains to me why there's a problem, but also assures us that many kids don't even know anything about the topic. She teaches me, but shows me how to improve. What I learn from her isn't much, as I'm taught by dad and tutors, but I understand it greatly. It is comforting and teaches me at the same time.

It's hard to connect to King, who has so many instructions, I have to write them down. My mom always makes me hopeful that I can do better. I just wish I could talk to him differently.

I step into the next hall, nearly running into a guard. Her tail lashes and her eyes glow. She looks at me and her anger disappears. She treats me as someone who is still learning without saying a word. Not a child, but one of youth. If only my dad would understand me that way.

I ask her where my mother is and she says that she was just walking by. I am given instructions to find her in the guest room, a simpler place that Malice has always loved to be in. I enter through a wooden doorway with a round handle.

She wears only a silver bracelet. It is made of large links that form a circle around her wrist. It hasn't shined in years. That quality of bracelet would have only cost her five coins. Most dragons would be able to buy it. I wonder if Malice tipped whoever she bought it from. She probably paid thirty coins for it.

To most dragons, it would seem like she was being a show off, making it clear she's rich. Anyone not watching would think so, but when she does it to someone and I hear her talk, I can tell it's not. One time I asked her about it. She didn't answer, only saying that if she had, it would have been the right thing to do. She often says, "Give what you have and more." Dragons often have trouble noticing Malice in the market because she almost never wears her crown, which probably cost hundreds of coins. The only time she wears it is at a very special occasion.

My sister is already there, curled on the couch beside her. Malice's purple wings match perfectly with Claw's blue ones. I wonder where I got the red, orange, and yellow pattern from. It's not from my parents, who are purple and green. Maybe it's a trait because of my powers. I sit down beside them.

"The end." Mother finishes a story.

"Can you tell us another one?" My sister asks very sweetly, then adds, "Please."

"Okay," my Malice says, "But only one more." I get comfortable, her stories are always exciting.

"Once upon a time, there was a young prince named Leo. He was bullied and taunted for being named after a cat. But that's the name he got. He never once complained to anyone about it." To me that sounds familiar. It reminds me of Chaos. It makes me feel even more guilty about his problem, even though it's not my fault. "There was a plot to kidnap him from his home. They took him and dragged into a cell. He was stuck there for days with only food and water. No one would pay the ransom to get him back, so he was stuck there. One night, he started singing. He sang a song his father had once taught him. It was called, 'Whispering in the Wind.' The low notes were like wind breathing in your ear, the high notes, like a bird. Would you like me to sing it for you?"

"Yes!" Mother's singing is almost as good as her storytelling.

"Have you heard the whispering in the wind?

It sounds like trees, swaying by the sea.

The whistling from the birds, takes away your sin.

Have you heard the whispering in the wind?

Have you heard the whispering in the wind?

It takes your pain, and brings back memories.

You listen to the hope of all your kin.

Have you heard the whispering in the wind?

Have you heard the whispering in the wind?

You wonder how it ever got so dark.

So listen to the hope, and wonder where it's been.

Make sure you've heard the whispering in the wind."

"One of the dragons who had imprisoned him listened. It filled him with hope and guilt. For hours the prince sang the same song, and it never became boring. Every time he sang it, the dragon changed a little. The dragon who had done wrong decided to do what was right. He released the prince and told him that he would never again do a wrong like what he had done then. He would never again hurt anyone. To make up for what he had done, he promised to tell the prince a secret. He couldn't say it aloud, so he gave the prince a book older than any dragon alive today. It was hundreds of years old. Old enough to be written in the ancient language."

Claw interrupts, "What's the secret?" I don't blame her. I want to shake my mother and demand an answer. Malice knows how to keep suspense in our minds, so we're itching for an answer.

My mother answers, "No one knows what the secret was. The story is from many many years ago. In fact, it was my father who passed it down to me. All I know about the rest of the story is that the prince came home and hid the book and that it was passed down for generations after that."

I come up with an idea, "Maybe it was the prince himself who made sure that the rest of the story was unknown. If it's a secret. Maybe it was supposed to stay a secret." My mother nods, and I silently cheer.

Approval from her feels so nice. She gives it out more than dad, but it means something. With Malice, it feels real, it makes me feel loved more than anything else. She understands me like I don't even understand myself.

Suddenly there's noise, and my father pokes his head into the room. He makes his news short and sweet.

"Break time is over. I want you to do your other activities. To review, you will be going over the war with Arron. You will also take your final test on literature. The last thing you will do is study the ancient language of Akr. But before all of that, you come with me to practice self defense. I expect you to be there in five minutes. And don't forget to study when you're done." He leaves as quickly as he came.

Claw and I sigh simultaneously. He stresses us both out sometimes. Now that he's gone, I remember that we need to hurry to self defense training.

"Come on," I say to Claw, "We need to be there in five minutes.