Dragonsoul

Chapter 34

A cold finger of reality was calling to Leonie to rejoin the world outside of the cozy fireplace that she shared with Rim. It was time to face the biting winter. She was sad to replace the safety of the hearth for the unknown that waited outside.

However, they had to trudge through the sea of snow that surrounded their little island. Animals needed tending to and making sure that they were warm enough as well.

Still, before moving on to what she had to do, Leonie could not resist indulging in a more pleasant memory of snow, of winter. 

The truth of the matter was that the memory that arose so clearly was one of a few years back. When Nald was smaller and even more energetic, which all who knew the little guy would think impossible.

Snowfall was heavy that year as well. However, it was not sinister. It was beautiful, breathtaking even. The cold that chilled their fingers was caused by the wintry air. It was not a consequence of evil trying to turn their hearts to ice.

They were planning to make a snowman. Nald was jumping up and down in excitement, ready to tackle the task. However, as creative as he was, he decided that making a snowman would be boring. 

"Then, what would you like us to make?" Leonie asked him when he frowned upon making a regular snowman.

"Dragons!" He exclaimed.

"Well, my little dragon, that's an excellent idea! How about we make fierce dragons and cute, little does. What do you say?" Rimodar asked.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Nald exclaimed.

"That sounds like a great idea, daddy!" Leonie agreed.

That was how they ended up creating a snow dragon and a snow doe, which looked wonderful. While the doe was elegant and gentle, the dragon was powerful, filled with raw energy.

They spent hours making them, but they ended up looking like pieces of art, of course, with the help of Amitola, who was in charge of the esthetics. Together, they made unique snow figures, having tons of fun.

As Nald and Leonie stood there, admiring the figures, they were suddenly hit by perfectly aimed snowballs. That was how the snow fight had started, by their father taking the first shots.

Leonie could distinctly remember that after the snow fight, they went inside to dry, and spent a pleasant night playing games and drinking hot milk. At the time, life was perfect. Her biggest grievance was Nald stealing her favorite toy. Those were the good old times.

Noticing her mother watching Rim and her with joy and a hint of sadness, Leonie was brought back to the reality of their lives. Even the tender look of love on Amitola's face could not be without a trace of agony, sorrow that went deeper than what any evil could, the pain of life.

Life had beauty and joy but also an equal amount of grief. Losing one so close to one's heart was bound to bring forth the sorrow, yet Leonie wished there was something she could do to stop her mother's silent suffering.

However, Leonie knew that although she might be able to save them all from evil, there was one thing she could not do, no matter how hard she tried, and that was change the nature of life itself.

People were born, they lived the best they could, and then they died. It was the way of the world, something that could never be altered. Yet, in that one moment, seeing the look in her mother's eyes, Leonie knew that if she had the power to change the very fabric of the creation, she would do it for her mother.

That scared her since she was aware that it was the best way for evil to gain access to one's heart, by offering the impossible. Was that what was happening to her? Had all the lessons about being true to oneself and doing the right thing that her father gave her an attempt to prepare her for the demons she was struggling with, inner demons?

"Did dad know what would happen? Did he know about my destiny?" She blurted out.

"Well, good morning to you, too, my dear. That is a serious thing to ask so early in the morning." Amitola said.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," Leonie said.

Then, she went over to her mother and gently kissed her cheek.

"Good morning, mother. Did you sleep well?" Leonie asked.

"Very well, thank you. And you?" Amitola asked.

"Better than I hoped, thank you," Leonie answered.

"Now tell me what brought on the inquiry?" Amitola asked.

"I was just thinking about the past, about all the lessons that dad taught me about doing the right thing. It made me wonder, that's all." Leonie said.

"That's called parenting, my dear," Amitola said.

Seeing the unsatisfied expression on Leonie's face, Amitola decided to elaborate.

"Your brother has received the same lessons about good and evil. We were just trying to put you on the right path in life, that's all. And to answer your question, no, we didn't know. We knew that there was a slight chance of one of you being The One, but we didn't know for sure. Honestly, we thought it would be the next generation." Amitola admitted.

"What do you mean? Like your grandchildren? Why did you think that?" Leonie asked.

"It's complicated. The main reason was the slow restoration of our magic. Both of us could sense the magic in our blood when we were young, but it wasn't strong. Even though I had visions, I was still reaching a small part of the magic. We thought that with every generation more of the magical inheritance would be unlocked, that it would be a slow awakening. However, the recent events prove that we were wrong." Amitola said.

"Are we sure that my magic is fully activated, that I am the one who will have to face the threat?" Leonie asked, trying to stop her voice from shaking.

"I don't understand everything fully, as I told you. However, I was talking with the Mage, and from what he said, I gather that your magic is awakening at a fast pace but is not yet fully awake. His opinion is that once the time comes, it will awaken completely, and you will become of magic, the same as our ancestors." Amitola explained.

"Does that mean I will have magic powers?" Leonie asked.

She rather liked the idea of having them. Yet, having seen how much practice Rim needed to be able to control his fire, she was fearful of being more powerful than people around her.

"We don't know exactly. This has never happened before. It will depend on how well nature and magic mix. You might not have any noticeable powers or you might be as powerful as the most powerful Mage in existence." Amitola said.

That did not make Leonie feel any better about the uncertain future, yet she could see that further questioning would not yield any results. It would only make her mother more anxious, thus she decided to let it go.

"Alright, work won't wait for us. Where do we start today?" Leonie asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"We have to check on the chickens first, then will make sure all the animals are warm enough. Then will come in to warm up and have some breakfast and after that feed the animals." Amitola said.

"Can I help?" Rim, who had been very quiet during their conversation, asked.

"Hm...well, maybe it's better if you don't come close to the animals. They might get scared." Amitola said.

"Why?" Rim asked.

He was as close as a dragon could get to pouting.

"Because you are a dragon," Amitola said.

Seeing his crestfallen expression, Amitola decided to give him a duty.

"Why don't you stay here and keep an eye on Nald? Help him to keep the house warm?" Amitola said.

"I can do that," Rim said, puffing his chest proudly as Amitola and Leonie put on their warm coats and went outside.