Playground

A Game

Author Note:PG, this is a bit different, it's a piece I wrote for a friendly challenge a while ago and just decided to share. Challenge below and picture on the side. Enjoy and feel free to partecipate! :)

"Write a short piece, a poem, a scene, whatever you feel like inspired by this pic"

Ismir lowered his head to rest on Vera's lap. It had been a long and stressful day, many things had happened and many more were to happen tomorrow. Gentle streams of smoke rose from his nostrils, a sign he had to use a lot of his fire recently. His eye slowly closed basking in her closeness and the simple knowledge they where now together.

Vera's eyes were fixed on the horizon where the sun was setting alight the sky in shades of oranges and reds. Tears slowly streamed down her face, some drops landing on Ismir head. He did not move as Vera watched the dark smoke rise from the city she had lived up until this very morning. Her hands gently stroked his head while she finally let her heart broke. There and not been time for that today, no time to mourn nor to let what she'd done sink in.

There was time now and the weight of her decision was slowly shredding her soul. The only thing keeping the pieces together was the comfort of Ismir's silent presence, giving her the space she needed but being there for her. Her eyes were far too watery to distinguish the distant smoke of the crumbling city but it didn't matter. Because that image would remain forever etched in her memory, just beside her brother's stricken face.

The strength anger and resentment had given her today was gone, in its place remained only the sorrow and guilty of her actions.

She remembered herself waking up this morning to a day like any other, little she knew that this would be 'the' day. She had known Ismir for years, a chance meeting on another random day, and for the past months she had known that this day was slowly approaching. The day she had to make a decision between a family who looked no further then the princess she represented and the dragon who only saw the woman and the rider she had become. Her parents couldn't understand, her brother wouldn't understand and by selling her to her father he had pushed that decision on her.

She had turned on Ismir then, seeing no way out, and he had come. For the woman she was he had come all fire and claws.

Many had died because of her choice, but then many had died for her father hatred against dragons as well. A hatred that for long she had shared with her family.

Vera closed her eyes and letting those two last images rest at the bottom of her soul she opened them again, this time looking north instead of south. The last two tears landed on Ismir head as her heart scarred over the three deep wounds she had inflicted herself, her family, her people and her life. She would carry them forever, and forever she would be aware of the price she had paid for the first choice she had made for herself in twenty years of life.

She lowered her eyes on Ismir head and felt his presence and his support lift her like a warm updraft, pulling her from the darkness of her soul. She knew he would be there for her, and even though it wasn't right, he would help her carry her burden. Her lips lifted in a small smile when her eyes met his.

"Shall we go Ismir? A long way is waiting ahead of us."

<We go, where you guide me I will bring you, my princess,> he answered in her mind.

She smiled and hugged his head giving him at least a fraction of the support he'd given her. He huffed, burying them in a cloud of smoke, still not used to it even after this long years with her. She laughed form a moment and between coughs told him off.

"Ismir! I don't have have many changes with me, no smoke stains." She said but her smile took all the bite from her words. "Now let me get up, we need to go."

He raised his head and another cloud of smoke blew right in her face. She glared at him, but he saw the smile playing on her lips and licked the side of her face. She laughed and again hugged his head before climbing on his back. A moment later dragon and rider glided far above the earth facing north, never once looking back.