Dragon Blossom

Courage and kindness.

The sun barely peeked over the valley mountains when Frey set off, deciding to go ahead of the others for a few minutes to see if the path was safe, and because it was exciting. He was getting closer to acquiring nothing less than a pegasus. If hippogriffs were rare and difficult to ride, at least there were a few in each city. Pegasi were extremely rare. It was said that in the past, they were as common as hippocampi. His father-in-law had told Frey that he himself had ridden one, the envy. Frey had mastered the high jump to defeat dragons in flight, although it was an amazing skill, it was not enough in many cases. Hippogriffs were fast but did not maneuver well and were cowardly creatures, not suitable for combat. In addition, the riders had to be light and small people, as the hippogriffs could barely carry weight, let alone men in armor.

He was clearing the path, attentive to any possible threat, although since the manticore they had only found harmless creatures. The most dangerous thing he had seen that day was a fox. Sometimes he thought of Eri as a normal girl, she behaved more and more according to her age, and it had been a long time since she had hurt anyone or broken anything with her strength. Therefore, he worried about things that would be dangerous for a five-year-old girl, but not for Eri. He had to admit that although with certain challenges, being the father of an invincible girl was very comfortable. Runaesthera was doing an excellent job teaching her etiquette and new words. It was hard to believe how fast she was learning under her tutelage.

It was not yet noon when he found a ledge on the mountain at the edge of the valley. It framed a shallow cave, it was the perfect place for a bird's nest... Did pegasi make nests? Horses in the stables did something similar, why not? So... yes, that was the place. He went back to warn his family and the explorers.

"I found it, the nest must be on that ledge."

"Is there a path?" the captain asked. "It seems too high for your jumps, Your Majesty" - the doubt about his best ability hurt Frey less than that "Your Majesty" - "and the animal will surely see you coming."

"No problem, I can create some handholds with magic" - Runaesthera always had a solution that he could not even think of - "maybe you can hide there until it comes back. This magic rein can prevent it from escaping if you manage to put it on, but it will not make it obedient, you have to tame it like any horse."

"With the difference that falling from a pegasus can mean falling from tens of meters from the sky. It seems too risky to me, maybe immobilizing the wings and taming it on the ground would be more prudent" - the captain was sometimes too cautious, but Frey could respect that.

"That's true, I must try to keep it from rising too high, or better yet, keep it from knocking me down. The rein should give me a few seconds to mount it. Assuming I can surprise it."

"There doesn't seem to be a better plan," Runa said in an unconvinced voice. She didn't like Frey taking risks, what a woman, falling in love with a soldier, a dragon slayer no less. "But promise me you won't do anything foolish."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, that's why they're foolish things, you come up with them out of nowhere and end up with injuries that could have killed you" - impossible, did she know about the white dragon?

"Okay, I promise. If it's too dangerous, I'll find a better way."

Eri, who was eating a honey candy from her reserve, looked at her parents amused. Frey noticed her mischievous smile every time they argued. By the way, those candies... maybe they could visit Meyrin on the way back from the trip, they had not been able to find any to Eri's liking in any candy store in Artemia. And the ones Queen Eyren gave her were almost gone",

"Well, at least I can do this in case you do it anyway" - Runa drew with her fingertips on the piece of armor Frey was wearing, an arcane symbol appeared and warped into the rune that read "float" - "If you fall, you will float above the ground before hitting it, but only once."

Frey said goodbye to his wife and daughter and climbed up the handholds Runa created for him on the stone wall. The spell had simply made bumps grow in the rock, a smaller version of when he made stone stakes grow from the ground.

He climbed in a few minutes, it was incredible how high it looked from above. He was not one of those who suffered from vertigo, but the climb had left him exhausted when he reached the ledge and the ground below seemed to pull him when he looked down.

Maybe an hour passed until he saw the pegasus approaching. What a magnificent creature. If it were a simple horse it would still be exceptional. What surprised him is that contrary to the legends, it was not completely white. Its mane was a shiny jet black as well as its tail and the tips of its wings. In addition to a few spots on the coat, they did not seem imperfections, they were like ink on a canvas, whose shape one cannot yet see, but knows it is there.

Frey watched it hidden behind a crevice in the cave wall. The pegasus looked in his direction and at the same time it hit the ground with one of its hooves, it snorted defiantly. It knew he was there. Frey came out slowly, rein in hand, the animal turned its head to look directly at him for a moment, before lowering it to his level. Frey did not understand but put the rein on it in a hurry. He felt even more confused when it shook its head clearly indicating that he should mount. Frey, driven by emotion more than by curiosity or caution, climbed onto its back. As soon as mount and rider made contact, the pegasus jumped into the air flapping its wings and moving its legs as if running in the air. That was the feeling it left, it did not seem to fly with its wings but to run in the air by some unknown magic, but it turned, glided, made wide loops in the air.

When they were flying over the center of the valley, the pegasus began to spin, to shake like any wild horse. Its hooves seemed to touch an invisible ground when it threw powerful kicks but there was no sound. Frey clung to the rein and balanced his weight to keep from being knocked down, although...

Without warning, it took off in circles that became narrower and narrower and then rose as if falling upwards. Frey remained firm and strong trying to concentrate on his task, even when the pegasus stopped its flight to plummet towards the ground, the strange thing was...

The ground was approaching rapidly, but Frey did not flinch. He was doing just what he had always wanted, and although he constantly felt he should let go, use Runa's spell to save himself, he did not. Not only because much depended on the success of this mission, but because he truly wanted to succeed. No matter how scared he might be.

They flew near where the others were waiting for him, shouts of amazement and support reached his ears, especially a cheerful "Daddy is amazing" from Eri. The pegasus rose again at full speed, this time falling in a spiral, like a wounded bird, with no apparent control, as if it had suddenly simply stopped flying. Only much faster.

"You're not trying to make me fall... you want me to let go, and that's not going to happen!"

Frey grabbed the neck of the flying horse and even tried to guide it. The ground was already very close, they had passed the top of a tall tree, Frey was clinging although this time he thought crashing was inevitable.

The pegasus regained its posture and as if it were part of the same wind, it flew inches from the ground to rise again little by little. Its flight was now stable and directed, a ride on a palfrey, but in the sky.

The animal now let itself be guided by the rein like any steed Frey had ridden before. He guided it to where the others were waiting for him. Everyone was excited, Eri just wanted to pet the pegasus, she said she was going to fly alone someday.

They were one step closer to their goal.