"The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward."
― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience
***
We continued to walk through the maze of multicolored trees, each varying in height, structure and leaves.
Each tree is a dragon spirit. There's so many of them. Too many of them.
They may be gone but my brothers and sisters will never be forgotten, Zephyr's voice whispered through my mind.
Can—can I talk to one? I asked Zephyr, overwhelmed by curiosity.
Of course. Simply place your palm upon their trunk and listen. I'll tell mother and the Guardians to continue ahead.
I gazed at the many dragon spirits, trying to pick which one to talk to first. A tree with orange and light blue leaves caught my eye. I slowly walked towards it, mesmerized by the swirls of colors in each leaf and how it had a strange aura, telling anyone that came close to it that it was more than any ordinary tree.
I bowed out of respect before carefully placing the palm of my hand on its bark, closed my eyes and listened.
A gentle breeze flowed through the forest. Soon, among the rustling of leaves, I managed to make out a faint voice. It grew in volume and seemed to speak in Dragon Tongue first then I heard, "Silver."
I gasped and looked up at the tree.
"I can hear you." I whispered in awe.
"It seems we were destined to talk at some point, little one."
"Who are you?" I asked, confused by the dragon's comment.
"My name is Amya, but your mother affectionately liked to call me May." The spirit said, amused.
I stood rooted to the spot unable to speak for several seconds.
"Y-you're..." I managed to choke out.
"That's correct, Silver."
"You tried to convince my mother... You tried to save me." I whispered suddenly feeling myself grow weak and fell to my knees.
I was too focused on finally meeting the dragon that believed I was worth saving to feel a hand on my cheek. What brought me out of my stupor was when my tears were gently brushed away.
My gaze met a pair of shining blue eyes filled with empathy, almost like a mother's love, swirling in their depths.
She was beautiful. Her eyes were like Zephyr's, skin pale but holding beauty of it's own and she was wearing a strange flowing cloth that made her look like an ethereal creature. She didn't wear shoes, it seemed to be comfortable for her.
Despite her dainty appearance, there was still a dragon's power inside her, one strong enough to lead an army.
"I'm so glad that Zephyr managed to pass on Maeve's message. Please, Silver, know that Maeve will forever regret causing you such pain but now she knows that you've managed to overcome the fears she had in the beginning and the obstacles that would have made anyone else give up."
Her beautiful eyes glazed with tears as the liquid sadness fell down her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry. We are so sorry that such a burden had to be placed upon you, Silver, but it was the only way." Her voice became a bit high pitched as she struggled to speak through her tears. "We never meant to hurt you, never meant to push you so far to the point that you wanted to join Cloud as well. Please understand this."
Amya's pretty features distorted into such a heartbroken and sorrowful expression that I couldn't help but hug her tightly and whispered brokenly, "I know it's not your fault but I can't help but feel this hatred towards our kind despite the second chance they've given me. It's frustrating but if you give me time I will eventually forgive all of you."
She returned the hug, her orange curly hair tickling my cheeks. How many times have I cried now? It's starting to irritate me.
"Of course. I understand." She sobbed.
I gazed into Amya's sparkling blue eyes and said, shakily, "Did...did my mother really..." I couldn't finish the sentence; too overwhelmed.
The dragon shook her head. "Never. The Commander lied. Maeve never begged for her life. She used her final breath to say how sorry she was for everything that she's done to you. Forgiveness is a very difficult thing to accept and I'm glad you are considering it. You can finally let go of your hatred. You can finally begin to heal, Silver."
Another wave of tears flowed down my cheeks as my heart was pierced by relief. I hugged Amya tightly again, never wanting to let go.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. I—I can't put into words how grateful I am for you saving me, and Zephyr telling me about Maeve. If it wasn't for the dragons, I never would've been able to be given a second chance; I never would've been able to forgive myself or my mother. Thank you."
Amya simply rubbed circles on my back and cried with me for a long time.
***
I apologize for the short chapter. I've been a bit busy lately and haven't found time to sit down and write.
Don't forget to comment and vote!
YOU ARE READING
The Story of Midnight
Fantasy"Who's out there?" One of the men yelled. Of course only silence met them. I remained quiet and waited for the group to start moving again. "Maybe it was just an animal." Someone whispered. The person, who I assumed was the captain of the small sq...
