Put back together

32. Once upon a time...

Part of Logan couldn't quite believe that this was the third day of their journey to Terona and they hadn't died yet.
Most people didn't survive these Islands for even a single day.

They spent most of their time talking in order to fill the silence and distract themselves from the occasional shuffle in the bushes or far away scream.
Logan was fairly sure that none of them wanted to know what was screaming or why.

He had at some point begun reciting old fairy tales and legends.
He tried to avoid the gruesome ones for Patton and Elliott, since the dragon had shown a surprisingly good understanding of the human language and was just a few days old.

He also avoided any legends that involved prophecies.
On one hand because that wouldn't be much of a good distraction from their current situation, on the other hand because he didn't want Virgil to hear any of them.

Prophecies were far too valuable to just hand them to an already powerful person.

His impression of Virgil didn't matter - he simply couldn't take that risk.

So instead he told stories like 'The Time Princess', 'Ferel, Silverblood' and the legend of how the gods had first created the world.
It were light-hearted tales taking place in long gone times, each with at least some sort of lesson hidden between the lines.

"... and to this day, she resides in the night sky, watching over her people, for when the time is come she will return and protect her kingdom again."

"I love that story," Patton said with a smile. "I've never heard it before but it's beautiful!"

Elliott gave a huff that sounded vaguely like an agreement.

"You haven't heard it before?" Virgil asked with suprise in his voice. "My mother used to tell it all the time when I was younger. I liked it until my father claimed that the Time Princess also punished children who spoke up against their parents."

He chuckled but it didn't seem very happy somehow.

"I was terrified that my brother would die for like half a year until mother finally convinced me that it wouldn't happen."

Roman chuckled: "My mother used to do something similar with 'Ten rats in the clock'. She said that the same thing that happened to the cat would happen to us if we didn't go to bed when she wanted us to."

"That's a bit mean, isn't it?" Patton frowned.

Roman just shrugged.

"Didn't your parents ever do something like that?" Virgil asked curiously.

Patton shook his head no.

"No, never. Why would they?"

Logan watched the exchange with a weird feeling building up in his chest.

Parents.

He had parents. Of course he had. A child couldn't possibly be born without them.
It shouldn't matter that he didn't know them. The older librarians had raised him well and always been good to him.
He shouldn't be longing for people he had never met. Who wouldn't even recognize him if they saw him. Who might as well already be dead.
Hearing Roman, Patton and Virgil talk about their parents shouldn't make him feel jealous.

So why did it?

Logan sighed quietly.

Why did feelings have to be so confusing? Why couldn't they just follow at least some sort of logic?

He felt Elliott press their head against his neck and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

He wondered if Elliott would one day feel like this.

Right now they were convinced that Logan and Patton were their parents but surely once they grew older they'd understand that that was not the case. That they didn't know their parents and had instead been raised by two humans who had found them completely by chance.
But Logan would be damned if he didn't do his best to raise Elliott well.
He didn't want to mess this up.

"Naaan," Elliott nuzzled their nose against his jaw line.

Logan couldn't help but smile this time.

The tree line broke before them and they were once again standing at a coast. A natural one this time.

In the distance Logan could see the next one, just as dark and unsettling as the one they were currently on.

"Is there a bridge around here?" Roman asked looking around.

"Nope."

"Then how will we get over there?" Roman frowned.

"I can take us over the abyss," Virgil said.

"And how would you do that?" Logan already had a sneaking suspicion but clung to the small figurative shimmer of hope he possessed.

"With magic," Virgil's eyes were sharp and focused but Logan couldn't help but worry. "Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. - Well, safer than standing around here for too long anyway."

He glanced at the forest behind them.

"If you're sure about that..." Roman trailed off.

"I am. Just hold on to your stuff."

A gust of wind swept around them throwing a few loose leaves and a bit of dirt around.

Then - without further warning - the ground was ripped right from under Logan's feet.
A surprised shout slipped from his lips.

Suddenly he found himself hanging head down over the abyss looking down into the endless nothing for no more than the fraction of a second but still enough to make his heart beat loudly in his ears.

He caught a glimpse of Patton then he was was falling through thick leaves. Twigs scratched at his hands and face and hit against his back.

Then he could see the ground again and prepared himself to crash into it painfully only for his fall to stop abruptly just a few inches from the damp moss that covered the earth and the roots sticking out of it.

For a moment he found himself hovering in midair before he was carefully set down.

Logan stumbled, prompted his hand against one of the trees for support and threw up.
He coughed until his stomach was empty and he was left with nothing but a foul taste covering his tounge.

Breathing heavily he turned to face Virgil.

The mage looked concerned, hands hovering in the air, wanting to help but not sure how to or if it even was welcomed.

"No offence to your magic," Logan gasped out, "but let's never do that again."

"Agreed," Roman said somewhere to his left. He hadn't thrown up but looked suspiciously green.

"Sorry," Virgil mumbled. "Forgot you people aren't used to roller coasters and that kinda stuff."

He looked genuinely guilty.

"I- It's alright," Patton stuttered.

Logan distantly wondered what 'roller coasters' were but if they were similar to whatever Virgil had done exactly to hurl them over here he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know too much about them.

He doubted they were a very enjoyable topic.
Maybe some kind of torture device.
Then again, why would they be used to a kind of torture?
Did Virgil typically socialise with people who were?

He hoped not.

And he hoped he'd never met that kind of people.

Bit of Logan Angst. Bit of magic. Bit of cute perfect dragon baby. Bit of world building.
All in all a solid chapter, I'd say.

As always feel free to comment, ask questions or roast me for spelling errors!

Have a nice (gay) day!