Chapter 150: New Beginnings
Xinskarr had returned to the Underground after the funeral. He had no idea where else to go. He was ashamed of himself. It had been painful enough watching them release Desertstone's ashes before the ceremony, but it had been excruciating saying goodbye to Querida. He had stopped Desertstone, but even that was not enough to stop Quartz from setting off his weapon. Querida was still dead. His act of killing Desertstone was nothing more than a hapless act of revenge.
He couldn't help but remember the way Querida had helped him care for his children as they grew up, or how she was always there to talk if he needed reassurance. She knew what it was like, living through troubled times, and yet she always had hope. She always seemed to know what to say. And now she was gone forever.
"We wondered if we'd find you here," Xaiya's soft voice rose from the darkness. Xinskarr looked up to see his family approaching.
"We've been searching for you all night," Winterstone added, her usually sharp and calculating gaze soft. She seemed much more relaxed than he had ever seen her. Perhaps with the war over, the weight of responsibility had been lifted off of her shoulders.
Xinskarr's father said nothing. He hung to the back of the group like usual, analyzing the situation from where he stood. Xinskarr decided to ignore him, as he usually did.
"Where's Yuu?" Xinskarr asked, "Is she safe?"
"She is," Xaiya confirmed drawing closer to Xinskarr's huddled form. "She's just resting in the tower. She's had a long day and done a lot of good work helping me taking care of everyone's injuries."
"Come home," Winterstone said softly, laying a hand on her son's back. "We don't need to hide in the darkness anymore."
"But I do!" Xinskarr exclaimed, "I killed a dragon over nothing but my own anger! And it still wasn't enough to save Querida! She's gone!" He was beginning to grow frantic, until Xaiya wrapped herself around him and began humming softly in coatl.
Winterstone's face fell, betraying the pain she felt for her son. The wildclaw lowered her head, weighed down by her own grief. "Querida's loss weighs heavily upon us all. She was loved by everyone, she touched a lot of lives. She was my best advisor and confidant in leading the rebellion. I don't know if I could have done it without her. But she chose to sacrifice herself for her clan."
"But I still killed a dragon," Xinskarr was beginning to shake, remembering the blood on his claws and the way Desertstone's body had lay limply on the marble floor. Xaiya's song grew louder, and he nestled his head into her feathers.
"My son, I have put far too much on you. I should have never given you the responsibility I gave you as a hatchling," Winterstone admitted, "I was scared, and you were so big and brave. Your siblings looked up to you, so I told you to keep them safe. I never expected you to take on the level of responsibility you did, but-" His mother shook her head, clearly unable to find the words to continue.
"It's not your fault they died," Wayuin spoke for the first time, drawing closer to his son. "It was our responsibility as your parents to keep you safe, and we failed. I failed. I was scared, I was going through a lot of questions about my identity when you were born, and I withdrew. Your mother had no choice but to raise you almost single-handedly. Such a weight should never have been put on such a dragon so young."
"But I still killed Desertstone!" Xinskarr pointed out. Why weren't they getting his point! None of that mattered if he had actually killed a dragon.
"You were protecting your daughter in the heat of battle, not murdering him in cold blood," Winterstone reminded him, "Maybe you shouldn't have killed him, but it was a war, and these things happen. To take another's life is a heavy burden I'm not denying that, but you are not evil or unforgivable for this."
"Come out of this dark hole, Xinskarr. Let's go back home to the tower, we can take everything else from there, one step at a time," Xaiya pleaded.
Xinskarr nodded. With the help of his family, he got to his feet, brushed off some of the dirt and mud clinging to his scales, and followed the, once more into the light. Whatever would come, they would face together, as a family.
Dremasul moved around Amberlyn's quarters, cleaning up after the gathering the night before. There had been quite the turnout to mourn for Querida, and the event had lasted straight through to the next morning. Now that the last of the bereaved had left, Dremasul was helping out by tiding the place so that Amberlyn wouldn't have to do it when she woke up. Draxxor had also joined him in this endeavor. The two were working in a silent tandem, saying nothing to each other.
"Well, I guess this is it," Dremasul said when they were finished. He turned to Draxxor and felt a lump form in his throat, "We completed our mission. I guess it's back to living our own separate lives." He turned away, unable to bear the pain of saying goodbye.
"Wait!" Draxxor said, and Dremasul turned back to face her. She was wringing her hands nervously. "I've actually really enjoyed working with you again. I hadn't realized how much I missed you."
"You mean-" Dremasul's heart beat faster in his chest. What was she saying, was she really-?
"I want to give us another chance," Draxxor admitted, "Working with you, I see that you've changed. You've devoted yourself to righting the wrongs of your past. Maybe its time for me to do that as well, and let my heart soften again."
Dremasul couldn't help it, he started to cry. Draxxor smiled and moved to comfort him.
"I didn't ever think-" Dremasul said, smiling through his tears.
"Neither did I, but I guess people change," Draxxor said, "Come on, let's go leave Amberlyn in peace. Besides, we have a lot to talk about."
The two dragons left the house in peace, and made their way over the roof of the tower back to Dremasul's house. Though both of them were heavy with exhaustion, there was a certain lightness to their step, the new hope of a new future.
A month had passed since the rebellion, and life had fallen back into rhythm. The dragons of Windkeep Tower had returned to their work, or started new jobs. Yuu smiled and waved at her fellow vendors as she moved across the market floor of the tower towards her new tea shop. With a smile, she unlocked the door and flipped the sign to open.
It was a small tea shop, but it was perfect. Tables filled the space, ready for dragons to sit and visit while they drank. She was able to get a spot near the edge of the tower, so she had spread the tables out on the balcony for customers to enjoy in good weather. Behind the counter was a variety of tea blends, both of her own creation and recipes given to her by traveling dragons. As she prepared for another day of work, she made herself a cup of rose tea. The blend had been a gift from her brother, Yaara, from his new clan, and it had become one of her favourites.
The afternoon stretched on peacefully as Yuu served customers and read a book she had taken out of the library. It was a particularly good one, and she got so enraptured in the world she was reading about that she almost didn't notice a new customer had arrived.
"Excuse me, ma'am," Yuu looked up from her book to see a brilliant yellow coatl that she had never seen before. He looked nervous, as though he hadn't wanted to disturb her. She slipped the bookmark back into place.
"I'm sorry, I should have been paying more attention," Yuu apologized as she put her book down again. "What can I get for you?"
"Could I please have a cup of rose tea, if it's not too much trouble?" The coatl asked.
"Not at all! That's one of my favourites!" Yuu exclaimed, "One rose tea coming right up!"
"Thank you very much," The coatl bowed and moved to the side to wait for his order. He crossed his hands politely and hummed to himself while he waited, looking around the shop curiously.
"Are you visiting Windkeep Tower?" Yuu asked, trying to make conversation. "I don't think I've seen you around before."
"I have just moved here to join the theatre," The coatl responded, his chest puffing slightly with pride, "A noble art in which I hope to pursue."
"Oh I love the theatre!" Yuu exclaimed. "Tosha does such a great job with the shows. She's so sweet! She comes up for tea every so often with Thornspine. You're in good hands!"
"Indeed I am!" The coatl agreed, "Tosha has shown me nothing but kindness, I can only hope that I may someday prove worthy of it."
"I'm sure you will!" Yuu smiled, "Hey, why don't you let me know when your first show is, and I'll make sure I come by to see it!"
"It would be a honor," the coatl said, sweeping into another bow, "Oh! Where are my manners! I haven't introduced myself! My name is Yarrow, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He held out a hand. Yuu shook it. He had a firm handshake.
"My name is Yuu," She responded, grinning. "Oh, it looks like your tea is ready! Here is it!"
Yuu handed Yarrow his tea and watched as he moved to take a seat on the balcony. There was something about him that intrigued her. She had a feeling his refined politeness was only an act to mask his nervousness in social situations. Her mother had told her that some dragons really struggled to be comfortable with other dragons, especially when meeting new ones. If that was the case for Yarrow, she figured he was pretty brave for moving to a new clan where he wouldn't know anyone.
As she returned to her book, she couldn't take her mind off of the newcomer. She hoped she would have the chance to get to know him better as he settled in.
Introducing Yarrow, Yuu's mate! I only have 5 more days until Yuu's RTB and I reach my Z generation and finish this alphabet legacy challenge that I've been working through literally since I joined flight rising (give or take a few weeks). Also, shout-out to Yaara and AlchemyFox, thank you for the hatchling letter and the tea ingredients you sent with it, I couldn't resist mentioning it here as a little easter egg!
I literally have only two more chapters left to write, I can't believe how close I am to finishing!
Yuu's scene was a delightful way to close the chapter: very calming and sweet, and the introduction of Yarrow makes me curious about what else is ahead for them. 
