Hearts of Fire and Ice

Chapter 5~ Jasper

A few hours later...

I sat in my room in the Sky Palace later that night. The storm had cleared, although the sun had set. It was dark outside and the stars twinkled, their light piercing through the inky blackness of the sky. From my window I could see the moons, the three of them glowing with a faint white light.

I was shaking all over, trembling with delight. I just couldn't get Snowdrift out of my head. Her beauty, her grace, even if she wasn't the politest to me when we first me a few hours earlier. And those azure blue eyes of hers... 

Best of all, Snow had agreed to meet me at the border again tomorrow night. I was wondering if she felt the same way about me that I felt about her. There was so much I wanted to tell Snow about myself. Maybe we had the same interests or hobbies? 

My heart was fluttering with excitement when the door to my room burst open. An angry blood-red SkyWing was standing in the doorway, making the fire-is-coming hissing noise. It was a dragon I knew all too well. It was Crimson, my oldest sister.

"Jasper!" Crimson roared, "Where have you been all night? Mother has been sending search parties to find you! You were gone for about three hours! And you were flying through that storm? Oh, Mother is going to be so mad at you!" 

I hung my head and sighed, "You could have at least knocked before you entered my bedroom!" 

Crimson walked over to me, slamming the door behind her. "I can't believe you, Jasper. You knew that storm was coming when you left-"

"I didn't  know there would be a storm, Crimson!" I snapped. 

"Three moons! Who set your scales on fire?" Crimson exclaimed. 

"What?" Now I was simply puzzled. 

Crimson gave a sly grin, "You've never acted this way before, little brother. What's going on in that head of yours? It's not like you to suddenly speak out like that... especially to your older sister, heir of the SkyWing throne! You're normally the quietest dragon ever!" 

I sighed again and rested my head on my front talons, a few small spurts of flame coming out my nose. I knew that now was a good time for me to stay silent. 

Crimson gave a nod, "Now that's better. If you ever want to talk... I'm always around," and she whirled around and left the room, her head held high. 

Perfect. Just perfect. Now I was probably in trouble with Mother, and Crimson wouldn't stop telling me about my mistakes for millennia. My other siblings probably would do the same as Crimson, knowing them. I hated having siblings. I knew Mother and my sisters would be watching me like a hawk from now on. Would I ever be able to fly free again? 

Then a horrible thought came to me. Snowdrift! If I wasn't able to leave the palace over the next few days, let alone my own room, how would I ever see Snow again? Would she worry about me? 

I had to escape. It was the only way to ever see Snowdrift again. Sure, it would be risky and if I was caught by the guards I would be in even more trouble with Mother than I was now. But Snow was more important to me than Mother or my sisters. So I took out a fresh scroll of parchment and some ink and began my escape plan strategy...