The Return Of Time

Chapter Eleven: The Great Dragon Race

"Today's the day-" Biana begins, packing more elvin good into the basket. She hums softly, smiling at Dex, who was also coming with them.
"For the Great Dragon Race," Dex finishes, chuckling when Gaia claps excitedly. A few days ago, Dex had come by their resiple and gave them two tickets to the "greatest dragon race that ever existed", in Dex's opinion. Biana agreed almost instantaneously, so Gaia couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the dragon racers.
Pinning her crest to her cloak, Gaia smiles to herself. "But we need to be honest here," she remarks. "Wyvergon's the best of them all!"
Dex laughs, nodding in agreement. "Wait until Emrys hears you say that!" he exclaims. "He'll be positively beaming for the rest of the week, haha!" He smirks at Gaia while Biana "oohs" knowingly, causing the youngest of the three elves to turn red.
"A- anyways," Gaia interjects before either one of the adults can say anything more. She suddenly frowns, looking around. "Where is Emrys again? Is he not coming?" I thought he liked dragons... Gaia ponders.
"He... was held up," Dex explains unnaturally vaguely. "Emrys won't be able to attend it live, but he'll be watching, don't worry." he adds when he sees Gaia's worried expression.
Releasing a breath that she didn't know that she was even holding in, Gaia looks at Biana and Dex before at the Leapmaster. "Well, what are we waiting for?" she asks, smiling. "Let's go to the dragon race!"
Dex laughs. "The Great Dragon Race," he corrects jokingly before they disappear into the light.

...

When Gaia shakes off the tingling feeling and opens her eyes, she finds herself perched on a wooden bench, staring down at the center of the stadium. She can't help but gasp when she sees the thick forest covering one area and the flaming crystal pillars shooting towards the sky in another area.
"Wait- they're flying dragons through this?!" she shouts, her voice disappearing moments afterwards from the boisterous crowd of elves around her.
Biana nods. "But most of these elves have lived for at least a hundred years," she explains, smiling when Gaia's jaw drops open. "They spend that time training as much as they can- we can't hurt the dragons."
Dex nods in agreement to Biana's explanation. "Emrys is a Junior Dragon Racer," he adds in. "Apparently, he has the same amount of junior wins as the reigning champion, Barbara Poljabon."
"That good?" Biana asks at the same time Gaia says, "Of course he does- he's the best."
Apparently, Dex and Biana hear Gaia and look at her, smirking and "oohing" like before. Her face burning even more than the first time, Gaia stares forward, trying to see if she can spot any dragons and their owners. When she doesn't, Gaia asks, "When will the racing begin?"
As if something from afar decided to answer Gaia, loud chimes, which immediately remind Gaia of Foxfire, ring so loudly across the entire stadium that the blonde is sure that the humans also heard it from a mile away.
Dex smiles. "Now," he merely says before leaning back in his seat. Wanting to appear nonchalant, Gaia does the same, and almost falls over in the process.
"The Great Dragon Race," a voice echoes from the loudspeakers. "A time where elves of all ages and abilities merge together in one area to watch the thrill and excitement we all share when we see the dragons." The voice pauses, which is filled with the yelling and hollering of the crowd.
"And now," the voice resumes, effectively silencing the crowd. "We bring to you, the dragon racers..!"
The stadium is so loud at that moment that Gaia, Biana, and Dex all cover their ears while cheering like the rest. On cue, six heavily armoured dragons and racers fly to the start of the race, which is a sparkling banner waving with the wind.
Gaia narrows her eyes, trying to see if there are any adults that she can recognize, but every single racer is wearing the same exact type and colour of body armour. The same thing, unfortunately, goes to the dragons as well.
"Are all the dragon racers ready?" the voice asks.
The elves hidden underneath the metal nod, their armour clinking softly.
"And are all of the dragons ready?" the voice inquires.
All the dragons nod, their armour ringing together to create noise that resembles a monotonous liberty bell.
"Then..."
Gaia leans forward, excitement coursing through her veins. This was it. She was actually going to be a dragon race. If people think that elves are fake, they'd think that the Great Dragon Race is out of this world! Gaia thinks.
"Go!"
Just as the voice screams that, all the dragons roar loudly before flying at top speeds. Gaia watches as the dragons enter the thick forest, and a humongous screen pops up, showing what's happening in the forest.
Four of the six dragons and their racers are all in a line, trying and failing to pass the one in front of them. However, two dragons- one slender and one more colossal- are neck to neck from the start. The taller dragon takes a sharp left to avoid the humongous tree while the longer dragon shoots up into the sky, surprising everyone.
The dragon looks around until it sees an opening in the forest, near the exit of the forest. It then dives back in, only to exit the forest mere seconds after the colossal dragon. Gaia's eyes widen when she sees a soft smile from underneath the armour.
Not before long, the other four dragons are out and shooting up into the sky, crowds cheering and dragons roaring at one another. Surprisingly, the dragon in the lead stays silent and focuses on the obstacles in front of it entirely.
Gaia looks up, only to finally notice that there are floating chandeliers adorned with sharp crystals spinning out of control. When she opens her mouth to say something, Biana places a hand on her shoulder. "Years of training," she says before looking up again. Sighing, Gaia does the same, only to have the childish excitement within her yet again.
She sees some crystals flying off of the chandeliers, which all of the dragon riders manage to deflect with their armour before it can dent their dragon's armour in the slightest. A few more minutes of dodging spinning chandeliers and their airborne crystals, the dragons swoop down to the flaming pillars.
And there, Gaia's jaw drops when she sees the riders jump off of their dragons and onto the pillars. In awe, Gaia watches as the colossal dragon weaves its way through the pillars with incredible speed and agility, the slender dragon at a close second.
But what's even more impressive is how flexible the leading dragon racer is, effortlessly hopping and flipping from one pillar to the other. The second dragon racer, Gaia notices, is taller and takes longer strides, but they're just as nimble.
Suddenly, the entire crowd of elves gasp when the pillar that the second dragon racer was currently standing on crumbles into burnt ashes from the fire. Gaia's sure that she was one of the elves that screamed, but was too focused on the race to care if that was true. The stadium watches with horror as the racer screams, the ground underneath them giving way.
The leading racer quickly turns around on their heel and makes their way back to the falling racer. They barely manage to grab the other racer's hand before leaping onto another sturdier pillar. Gaia assumes that the racer that was saved was thanking them because the leading racer nods before jumping ahead. The second racer, who still may be shocked, takes a bit longer than they used to, but still manages to be in second place.
The leading racer, now at a prominent lead, does a flawless ariel off of the edge of the final pillar before landing perfectly on the back of their dragon. Gaia smiles as the two increase their speed at the final leg of the race, which is them having to circle the entire stadium underwater, in the sky, and then on the actual field. Even still, the thirteen-year-old holds her breath when the majestic dragon dives headfirst into the water.
The screen now shows all six competitors in the water swirling their one lap in the water. Surprisingly, the slender dragon is managing to catch up to the leading dragon, but has a bit of a harder time swimming through the water than the leading dragon. The camera angle changes to show that unfortunately, the sixth dragon racer is even farther back than they were before. Poor racer, Gaia thinks sympathetically as they and their dragon struggle to keep up.
When the dragons shoot out of the water, the water glistens beautifully, earning "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd. Gaia keeps her eyes on the leading dragon rider, intrigued by them at how much of a lead they have. The dragon and the rider's armour shimmer in the sun from the water as they race around the stadium at top speeds. Somehow, the leading dragon manages to only speed up, unlike the other dragons behind them.
Before long, the third and final lap is started, with all six dragon racers in a straight line. Gaia finds herself cheering on the leading dragon racer as the finish line, which is two sparkling banners in the air. Gasping, Gaia claps even harder than before when the dragon rider jumps off of the dragon and breaks the higher banner at the same time as the dragon breaks the second banner. Everyone cheers loudly as the other dragons finish the race as well and the winner lands on their dragon yet again.
"And we have the victor..!" the voice says loudly, this time making the elves cheer louder. "But let's see who's under the armour and in sixth place! Please remove your helmet!"
The person removes their helmet to reveal a woman about the same age as Biana. She's also a brunette, but has a streak of blue. She also had turquoise eyes, which immediately made Gaia think of Emrys.
"Maruca Aeron!" the voice says. Her name earned cheers, but not as many as the winner received. Maruca must've noticed, because her ears turn a bright red. Gaia can't help but frown at how Maruca's turquoise eyes seem a bit... darker than Emrys'. Was that because of the bitterness of the lack of cheering? Or something else?
In fifth place was a short man named Nicholas Descend, fourth place was a slightly taller and larger man named Levi Ralen, and third place was a woman named Pisaria Antique.
Second place, however caused everyone to gasp. The armour disappears, revealing a tall woman with an icy glare. Her chiseled features soften a tad when she smiles and waves at the crowd, earning a ton of cheers from the elvin crowd. "In second place, we have the reigning champion, Barbara Poljabon!," the voice announces. "What a shocker!" Barbara rolls her eyes playfully, but smiles even more at the elves around her.
Finally, the voice talks about the victor. "And whomever could it be? The first person to ever beat the Barbara Poljabon?!" the voice says dramatically. "And... I'm just informed that he's a newcomer! Wow, is he good at his job!" The armour begins to disappear as the voice announces, "And the winner is... R- Emrys?!"
When Gaia can finally register what the voice said, the armour has disappeared, revealing a boy in a turquoise cloak and a blue mask. He takes the mask off and throws back his cloak, causing everyone to be at the edge of their seats.
And Gaia doesn't know if she should feel fluttery or shocked when Emrys' turquoise eyes met hers immediately. "Emrys?!" she shouts, standing up.
"Emrys?!" Biana echoes, straightening up as well.
"Woo! Go Emrys!" Dex hollers, cheering the loudest out of the entire stadium.
Everyone suddenly erupts into cheers as Gaia still remains in shock. A mixture joy, shock, and something else she can't describe mix together to form an immense feeling of wanting to be with him. Gaia keeps her eyes focused on him as Emrys, slightly surprised at how many people there are, waves.
And Gaia's so focused on only Emrys that she doesn't realize that she's flying to him until he catches her, his turquoise eyes peering deep within her that she can't help but flush. Once Gaia's feet finally touch the ground, however, does she realize that they're not alone- Barbara's walking over to them. Blushing more, Gaia steps back.
"Emrys Wickmer," Barbara states, surprisingly being a few inches taller than Emrys. "You, young man, saved my life when no one else did." She then smiles, suddenly seeming a few years younger than she looks. "And I sincerely thank you for that."
Emrys bows. "It's an honour flying besides you, Mrs. Poljabon," he says, rising up again. "I know that I'm underage by at least twenty-six years, so I'd like for you to-"
"I will hear none of that," Barbara interjects, catching both Emrys and Gaia off guard. "You won that while managing to best a five-century elf and while saving her in the same race. Keep that trophy, but try to win the next race when you're older, will you?" Smiling, she turns and walks away, being bombarded by fans.
Dex and Biana come down the stairs, wide smiles on their faces. "That was you?!" Biana squeals, clapping her hands. "That was amazing!"
Gaia nods, unable to create sentences in her mind because of her shock. Clearing her throat, she says, "That was magnificent, Emrys! When did you learn to fly like that?!"
Before Emrys can say anything, Dex wraps the victor in a tight embrace. "Emrys was only a baby when he first flew a dragon!" he exclaims, surprising Gaia and Biana. Turning to face them, Dex asks, "Did you know that Emrys flew his first dragon before talking?"
Biana's eyes widen. "Don't kids talk after being born?"
Dex nods. "The greeting, of course," he says nonchalantly while Gaia's too focused on the race's results to properly take in what he's saying. "But he was silent until after he flew his first dragon, which was when he was a month old."
Emrys looks down, his ears tinged a slight pink from embarrassment. "Dex..." he mumbles.
Chuckling, Dex hugs Emrys in another sting hug. "It was so worth it!" he exclaims, swinging Emrys slowly. "I'm surprised that they actually believed that you're my little brother, Rex!"
Biana swats at his arm playfully. "Why does that sound like something you'd do?" she asks, rolling her eyes with a smile on her face.
Dex doesn't respond. Instead, he stares into Biana's teal eyes, his periwinkle eyes slightly darker with something that Gaia just can't pinpoint. And just like that, Biana's eyes are a shade darker than before. The strawberry-blond man then steps forward, smoothly wrapping his arm around Biana's waist. The brunette then smiles when Dex kisses her cheek softly, smiling as well.
"Um... would you two like a moment..?" Emrys asks, clearly uncomfortable. "You know... together..?"
Gaia nods, just as awkward. "Yeah... we should take a few steps away from them," she tells Emrys. But before they can move, Gaia shivers, despite the flaming pillars still burning above them. Before she can say anything, bough, Emrys has taken his turquoise cloak off and wrapped it around Gaia. "But-" she begins to protest before Emrys stops her.
"I just jumped off of thirty different flaming pillars," he reminds her jokingly. "And besides, the flaming pillars don't really help with the fact that this stadium is up in the mountains, so it would be really cold on other days." Emrys then smiles softly, his turquoise eyes meeting her brown-teal ones.
Gaia flushes profusely, looking down. "Then... thank you," she mumbles, grinning softly as well.
Emrys looks around before gazing down at Gaia again. "We should probably leave," he suggests. "The stadium is practically empty, and they have to clean everything up."
"How about Iridescecy?" Gaia asks. "We've never actually hung out there before."
The fourteen-year-old laughs. "That's true," he admits. "We should probably grab Dex and Biana and go."
When the two walk over to the adults, they see that Biana and Dex are finally looking around and not at each other. "What was that about?" Biana asks, smirking.
Already blushing, Gaia refuses to blush more. "We were thinking about going to Iridescecy," she admits. Looking at Biana, she asks, "Can we?"
The teal-eyed woman nods happily. "Of course!" she exclaims happily. "Would you like to go with Emrys?"
Blushing, Gaia nods. Emrys smiles and admits, "I don't have a crystal to Iridescecy, so is it alright with you to ride on Wyvergon again?"
Ignoring Biana's, "So chivalrous!" in the background, Gaia nods and smiles brightly. "I'd love to!" she exclaims.

...

Gaia and Emrys are the first pair to arrive, so they had grabbed a few pieces of mallowmelt and sat down in Gaia's room. "By the way, did you see the mob of news media trying to get to you?" she points out after they've finished.
Emrys groans. "That's why I'm glad we left when we did," he admits, shaking his head. "But I have the feeling that our door is going to be kicked down sooner or later."
Gaia laughs, standing up. "At least you have Wyvergon to fly you away," she says, laughing.
The fourteen-year-old chuckles. "This is going to be my hideout," he says, smiling. "So don't be surprised if you suddenly see me at your window because of them."
She smiles, turning away until her upcoming blush can die down. Turning to face Emrys again, she asks, "Should I take your plate?"
He shakes his head. "I can do it," he says. He heads to the door... and then pauses. Turning around, he asks sheepishly, "Um... where's the kitchen, again?"
Gaia giggles, "Follow me."
The two make their way down to the kitchen, where they notice that Dex and Biana aren't home yet. Emrys frowns after washing the dishes. "Where are they?" he asks, raising an eyebrow as he dries his hands. "Light-leaping is instantaneous. It shouldn't take this long..."
"I'm guessing that they must've light-leaped with another crystal," Gaia suggests, walking over to Emrys. "I doubt that they'd do this on purpose."
Emrys nods in agreement, gazing over to the side in thought. He then stares at Gaia, his worried eyes relaxing. For some reason, Gaia finally notices Emrys' strong jawline and how his turquoise eyes contrast nicely against his chestnut brown hair. She can't help but smile at how Emrys' face looks soft yet chiseled all at the same time.
"Wow, you're hot," she mumbles softly, not realizing that she said it out loud. And it's not because of the flaming pillars, she adds to herself. She looks up to hear Emrys mumbling, "You're beautiful," even softer under his breath before staring at her. Both of them blush considerably and turn away- Gaia being sure that she was more embarrassed.
Her face still burning profusely, Gaia looks up at Emrys, their eyes making contact yet again. Gaia flushes again, but she doesn't look away...
That is, until the two elves hear something fall from the other room. Emrys furrows his eyebrows before looking at the kitchen door. "That's the main living rooms right?" he asks, scowling.
"Yeah..." Gaia says, drifting off into confused silence. Suddenly, her eyes widen. "Wait- what if that's Biana and Dex?!"
Emrys' eyes widen as he runs to the door. "Only one way to find out..!" he says. And then he opens the door...
To find Biana and Dex about to kiss.
While one arm is wrapped around Biana's waist, the other hand is caressing Biana's cheek, pulling her a bit closer with every second. Biana's eyes begin to close, her arms on Dex's neck and chest- only then do Emrys and Gaia realize that Dex doesn't have a shirt on. The two of them are so absorbed in what they're doing that they don't seem to acknowledge the younger elves.
Clearly embarrassed at what they walked into, Emrys and Gaia rush over to the two adults and pull them apart, seconds before they actually met. Holding his pathfinder, Emrys looks at Gaia and says, "I'm going to take Dex back to Dracovern, and I'll talk to later- alright?"
Gaia nods. "Definitely!"
Emrys steps into the light, dragging Dex through the light with him. Only when Biana's mere moments away from being dragged into the light as well does Gaia half-tackle half-shove Biana out of the way, forcing the brunette to release her grip on Dex's hand.
When Gaia looks around at her surroundings, she sees that Biana's on the ground, snapping back into reality, while Emrys and Dex are gone, surely in Dracovern by now.
Gaia sighs, shaking her head. She didn't know which part of the entire day was more embarrassing- the fact that she called Emrys hot or the fact that she just walked in on Biana almost kissing someone.
Groaning into her hands, Gaia replays Biana's actions throughout the day. She was fine until after they congratulated Emrys, but why..?
Scowling, Gaia replays her own actions as well. The part where her emotions swirled together stands out to her for some reason... In realization, Gaia facepalms before looking down at Biana again.
Biana was inflicted on.
By her.

-F.V.