Long Ago

Chapter Thirty

A huge fire storm erupted through the throne room, lighting every drape, carpet, and even the metal food trays on fire. I screamed at the top of my lungs as the fire surged from me.

I vaguely heard the king yell... but the sound was cut off by fire that went down his throat and burned his cruel evil heart.

When my fire dyed down I was left feeling weightless and out of breath. I looked up to the throne and found only a glowing pile of ashes there. The queen was also dust... but her ashes were not glowing blue like the kings. His were filled with magic.

I sent the last trickle of the magic I possessed to blow his ashes away. And I watched with blurry eyes as the magic exploded through the room. The sight like a million crystals busting, turning into a fine shimmering dust before my very eyes. The magic then flew out the throne room door. I heard gasps and grunts as magic returned to where it belonged. All the creatures in the room awakening as magic settled in them... but my friends remained unmoving and lifeless on the cold black floor.

A loud roar from far away shook the very floor I stood on. Something inside me recognized that sound. Something hidden deep in me shot an eye open to that sound. The sound my blood roared... the sound of my heritage. 

A dragon.

I slowly sank to my knees. It was done. I had completed my destiny. I had succeeded... but at what cost? I was alone once more. I watched as a tear slipped from my eye and fell onto the black floor.

Someone caressed the top of my head, hope filled me as I looked up to who I hoped was one of my friends... but it deflated as I beheld a stunning woman whose very skin glowed white. She smiled gently down at me, her light filled eyes shown bright with pride. I looked beyond her and beheld a tall, dark, handsome man whose skin was glowing black. I knew who they were then.

Life and Death themselves.

"Well done my child," Life said to me, her loving voice kind and soft... like a mother's calming whisper.

Death nodded in agreement. "For what you gave, we give something back to you." His voice was deep and rich, a colloquial lullaby.

I watched as Life and Death kissed their hands then outstretched them towards my lifeless family. I looked with wide bewildered eyes as my friends chests began to rise and fall. I turned back to the immortal beings beside me and whispered as tears ran down my face, "Thank you."

Life smiled, the gesture warming the cold in my healing heart. "Thank you."

Death took a step closer to Life and whispered, "We should return, my love."

I watched as Life and Death took each others hands and smiled at me. "Tell Teylie to enjoy her wings," Life said to me.

Before I could ask what she meant they vanished. I snapped my gaze back to my friends and watched as they all sat up. They looked to me and smiled distantly.

I threw myself onto them all and squeezed tightly.

We had won.

We had survived.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My friends and I had just barely made it outside in time. For as soon as we stepped out of the castle, we began to change. The turning felt like something caressing my skin. Like a gentle breeze covering my whole body.

I felt the wings sprout from my back, felt the talons shoot from my new dragon hands.

I stood half as tall as some trees around me and blinked. My eyesight better and more clear than ever. I listened as I took a deep breath, filling up my dragon lungs, every chirp and scratch of the critters around me was so loud it was as if they were right next to my ears.

I looked at the other dragons in my midst. They smiled at me with their long sharp teeth, and I smiled back.

I heard a loud roar and the beautiful sound of beating wings. William soared for us, a smile plastered to his long dragon snout. "Greetings my family!" He called out to us in a language I had never heard before, but understood completely. His voice was gruff and raspy as a dragon. "You must tell me the story of how I now have my wings back."

All the dragons in my company looked to me, awaiting the story, but instead I said, my voice strong and crisp and new. "I'll tell you later. For now... last one to Dragon Mountain finds dinner!" I took off, the motion of my wings as familiar as blinking.

And as I took to the skies... I knew.

I had never felt happier... never felt more... Alive.

And I knew, we would all be alright. We would rebuild from the kings darkness. We would live now that we were whole once more.

We would not just survive... we would thrive.

And I would rest in the knowledge that I would never be alone again. Not with the new family I had found. Not as long as I had the sky and wind to guide me home.

I would be happy for the rest of my long dragon life.

I would live and make new memories with the dragons I now called family.

I would be okay.

We all would.

THE END