Sunfire
(#47703222)
Level 1 Imperial
Familiar
Carmine Serthis
Click or tap to view this dragon in Predict Morphology.
Energy: 50/50
This dragon’s natural inborn element is Light.
Male Imperial
This dragon is hibernating.
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Personal Style
Apparel
Skin
Scene
Measurements
Length
26.99 m
Wingspan
21.05 m
Weight
8412.26 kg
Genetics
Sunset
Starmap
Starmap
Sunset
Constellation
Constellation
Raspberry
Glimmer
Glimmer
Hatchday
Breed
Eye Type
Level 1 Imperial
EXP: 0 / 245
STR
6
AGI
6
DEF
6
QCK
5
INT
8
VIT
8
MND
6
Biography
“Bring every last of them down.”
“YES, SIR, GENERAL SUNFIRE, SIR!”
“Good. May luck smile on you.”
Once, his name had been hailed as that of a hero’s. Hordes of dragons of all ages, colours and breeds alike would gather in the city marketplace to cheer him and the army he led against their country’s enemies after every successful battle, flowers and offerings tossed at his feet as they celebrated his triumphant return. Sunfire would lead his battalion of soldiers trooping through the city streets, all the way back to the royal barracks that were their home, and at every step of the way there would be praises sung of his bravery, his exploits, the courage that shone as bright as the starry constellations mapped across his body.
Battles were arduous and tedious affairs. Some could last hours, others could go on for days, weeks at a time, until both parties were equally exhausted. As occupied as he was with discussing tactics with his advisors and commanders-in-arms alike, Sunfire always made time for one thing: the sunset. The way the sky would be awash in a glorious blaze of light for several fleeting minutes, the way the orange and gold hues would tint the clouds drifting by, even the way those bright colours faded into lilac dusk was mesmerising, every single moment of it. It was something he had picked up after his mentor had left him with his final words.
“Cherish every sunset. You never know if it’s the last you’ll see before you die.”
If his king ordered him to march, he would do it. If ordered to fight and die, so be it. Sunfire had been born and raised as a warrior ever since he had hatched and learnt to breathe fire. There had been defeats, times when he had to fall back, but this time his king had commanded him to seize the opposing side’s base, and to make sure it was theirs no matter what it took. The past months had been spent fending off attack after attack on their own country’s heartland, and it had been decided that it was best to send a small, elite force to strike back at the heart of the enemy while the bulk of their army stood at their gates. With no leader to direct the masses, the enemy army would surely be crushed under the weight of their own numbers eventually.
All had gone according to plan. His group had infiltrated the foe’s capital without alerting them, and even now were en route to the tower where their general was said to be. So far, it had been ludicrously easy to sneak past the guards posted, to take down those who stood in their way and silence them before they alerted anyone else.
He should have known it was just too easy to be true.
It had all been a trap. Somehow they’d known of the ambush, and before any of them could lay a single claw on their objective, the entirety of their little band had been rounded up by troops over double their numbers, though he was relieved to see that most had not been badly wounded in the skirmish. They would let the entire group go free, they were told, in exchange for one General Sunfire.
With an ultimatum like that, how could he possibly have abandoned the dragons who had supported him through every battle, whom he trusted to watch his back through thick and thin?
So here he was. Dingy walls, chained to the walls with reinforced shackles, the occasional chilly draft blowing through the rusted iron bars of his little cell. Trapped as he was in within these lonely confines, left mostly alone to rot in his own failure, the once-bright sheen of his scales had dulled to an almost lifeless color, the swirls along his body appearing to be ink marks, so devoid of shine were they. How fitting, he mused, it was like being stripped of his medals of honour, now his hide was reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory.
Sunfire knew nothing more of the world above, save the whispers he overheard from the guards, and what news he did hear was bleak. His home capital had fallen into enemy hands, their allies had deserted long ago to save their own hides. What bitter tears he had shed that night, when he had grieved for the loss of his homeland and his people. Few had been left alive, he’d been told, their warriors had fought to the last and screamed his name as they were struck down, still believing in him even from afar.
In short, the kingdom was doomed, and the war was lost.
My king, I have failed you, and our lands.
Perhaps the only thing left for him to do was waste away in his prison. After all, he had nothing left to fight for. No king, no country, no more brothers-in-arms or family to speak of, no more hopes and dreams of glorious battles to come…
When was the last time he had even seen the light of day?
When was the last time he had stood and watched the sunset under the open skies?
It was the one thing that had been constant for more than half of his life. Every evening, standing just outside the camp’s outskirts, watching the sun lower past the horizon and glorify the evening skies with its colors...something so simple, yet so out of his reach, now that he had nothing to look out from but a set of iron bars through a solid wall. A pang of nostalgia struck him then, a desperate yearning to return to the glory days of old, to never have made such a grave mistake...but alas, it was impossible.
Lost in his musings, it took him awhile to notice the odd scraping sound coming from the wall beside him. Only when the noise began to grate on his nerves did he bother getting up to snarl half-heartedly at the cause of the annoyance. The scraping ceased for a moment.
“General...Sunfire?”
Golden eyes blinked open with a start, no one had addressed him by such a title ever since he’d been captured and locked in here. That had been weeks now, he’d counted the days with scratch marks on the walls each time they brought a daily meal. So who could be calling his name?
“...who’s there?”
Whoever it was on the other side of the wall gave a little gasp, as if they hadn’t expected him to answer at all.
“I was just wondering if you were alright, that’s all. I know they’ve barely given you enough to live off, neither have you been out of that cell since they brought you here.” A pause. “It must be hard on you.”
He snorted bitterly, a meager plume of smoke curling from his jaws. “Complaining about it won’t get me out of here, and even if I did, I...have nothing to return to. My homeland is gone, my family, my kinsmen...likely dead or under control now.” His eyes closed for a moment, the sudden tightness in his throat welling up once more. “And it was my fault. As the leader of our forces...I should not have let this happen. I should’ve been there to defend the city until the last moment, then die fighting, if need be.” His claws scratched at the ground in frustration, fresh anguish swelling in his chest until it felt like he would drown in it. What was the use of all his years spent in service, if he had not been there with his sworn liege and kingdom in their last moments?
“...do you miss it?”
The voice echoing from beside his cell sounded curious, though Sunfire had no inkling as to what they were referring to. What was there to miss that hadn’t already been taken away from him? When he did not respond, the dragon on the other side of the wall tried again.
“The sunset, I mean. My brother...he was part of your battalion. He always told me about how you’d watch every single sunset, provided you weren’t, er, fighting, that is.” A pause, then a light trilling laugh, the first joyous sound that he’d heard since his time in this prison. It soothed him, somewhat, just to know that there was still some goodness in this world, even if he might be trapped in here.
Sunfire cleared his raspy throat, suddenly wishing he hadn’t finished the meager ration of water so quickly earlier. “I miss it. The way the colours light up the sky...even if the ground is painted red, the skies will always be breathtakingly beautiful. It’s something that...has never changed since the beginning of time.” His words trailed off, without thinking his eyes had closed just to picture those wondrous sights once more in his mind.
“...except I can’t remember how it looks like anymore.”
Even now the images seemed a little hazy, he was already beginning to forget how the sunset looked like and that saddened him considerably. From beyond the wall, his new companion was mute, Sunfire was about to turn away and give up hope when her voice filtered through the cracks of the wall once more.
“The sun’s going down. The skies are streaked with bright fire and molten gold now, the clouds are tinted a soft orangey pink from the sun. I can see the edges of the horizon, it’s lined with lilac so pale you might just miss it if you weren’t looking hard enough.”
Yes, he could see it now. The way the sun dipped below the mountains at the end of an arduous battle, the fading gold streaked with bright fuchsia, the way even the clouds would appear to be dyed cottoncandy pink from the sun’s reflection. The way the last fading remnants of the sun’s warmth would linger, just for a fleeting moment, before the cooling night breeze swept over him, as if signalling an end to the show. Even so, he would stay just to watch the soft pinks morph into steadily deepening indigo that stained the sky, and then for a little longer as night rolled in, taking with it the last traces of glorious color.
“Can you see it?”
His eyes snapped open, his world once more confined to the dingy grey walls that surrounded him. For a moment Sunfire nearly cried out in protest at having his visions shattered, the visceral anguish of the loss felt as if a part of his soul had been cruelly ripped from him, so real had it felt. He caught himself before the sound could escape, though he could feel himself trembling, filled with fresh longing to see his beloved sunsets once more under the open skies.
Only then did it cross his mind that the dragon in the cell beside him had been the one to conjure such magical illusions for him, Sunfire hurriedly dragging himself closer to the wall to pour forth his thanks without needing to raise his voice. An amused chuckle was his answer, followed by the scraping of chains from the other side as his newfound companion shifted closer to continue the conversation as well.
“I have a little window that faces out to the sea, where I can see the sunset from,” she murmured, and after a short pause, added, “and I figured it would be nice if I could somehow help you see them too.”
“...that is very much appreciated.” The words felt so hopelessly inadequate when they tumbled forth, yet it was all Sunfire could think to say, so overcome with gratitude to this kind-hearted soul was he. Finally, he had something to look forward to, someone who was willing to help make his days spent in isolation a little less lonely. It was pleasant, to say the least, to have someone to exchange idle words with, someone to keep his mind from wandering and preserve his sanity.
Soleil was her name. It translated to “setting sun” in a foreign language, she told him, a keepsake of the times her parents had journeyed to other lands. She would regale him with vivid descriptions of the places she had visited, the wonders and exotic beauties of the world she had witnessed, the likes of which Sunfire had never even dreamed of. Sometimes Soleil would reminisce about the memories she had made with her family, the times they’d all enjoyed life together before the war. Other times it would be stories of her childhood with her brother, but everyday without fail, she would study the sunset and paint such vibrantly vivid pictures of it for him with just her descriptions alone.
She had a way with words that made the places come to life in his mind even if he’d never actually been there. It was a gift from the gods, or at least that was what Sunfire liked to praise her with.
“You know, someday, I’d like to go back and visit all those places again...just for the memories.”
In exchange, when it was his turn to speak, he would proudly present her with grand tales of the battles he had fought in, the thrill of adrenaline coursing through his veins before each fight, how the tides of war would shift and change over time. If one wasn’t observant enough to catch the signs and change their strategy, then there would be no second chances, not in war, he warned her. Sometimes you got lucky, or your foes made mistakes, but for most part there were any number of things that could get you killed out on the frontlines if you weren’t alert. Sunfire was no storyteller, but he did his due best to describe how it was like to fight for your life alongside fellow brothers-in-arms, how the heat of battle would sweep through his veins like quicksilver. Always, Soleil would remain respectfully silent till the very end, until sometimes even he forgot she was his sole audience.
It always hurt, having to return to cold reality after hours of trading stories back and forth. Sometimes the guards would interrupt them, mock them both for such “foolish fairytales”. Those were the days they would be forced to lapse into silence, but at least now he knew there was someone beside him who shared the same suffering as he did, and that thought alone was enough to keep him going. At some point it felt as if they’d known each other their entire lives, that was how much of themselves they had shared with each other.
Occasionally he was paraded through the streets of the enemy capital, but all that would wound was his pride, and frankly, Sunfire had already abandoned that long ago. It wasn’t as if he particularly cared for how these dragons viewed him, neither would stones or trash hurled faze him when he was accustomed to scorching flames or crackling lightning bursting in his face.
When he returned from these, Soleil was always awake to check on him, regardless of whether the hour was late. Sunfire tried to brush off her concerns, what could they possibly do to him that he had not already experienced in all his years?
“Each time you go, I don’t know if you’ll come back. I don’t know if they decided to publicly execute you, or shift you somewhere else…”
An bitter snort slipped past his lips, Sunfire hastily forestalling her before she took offense. “There’s no need for your concern. I have no one else left to mourn for me if they choose to kill me, and they likely will let you go once this war is over. Save your time for someone more important, like yourself.”
There was a pregnant pause at that moment, broken only when Soleil uttered an incredulous noise, halfway between a snort and an indignant huff.
“No one left? Your people, your city...they still remember you. And even if they don’t, I will.”
“A poor decision, really…”
The sudden clanking of chains being rattled irritably startled him for a moment. From his side of the wall he could make out the sound of Soleil drawing in a deep breath as if preparing to launch a tirade of words, perhaps he had overdone it this time…?
“What I’m saying is that even if you don’t feel like anyone cares...I do. I loved swapping stories with you, and I still do. Please, you’re the only friend I have in here, I just hate the thought that one day, we’ll talk for the last time… and then I’ll never hear from you again.”
Her voice was shaking faintly, it made him ashamed to think he’d upset her. Deep down, Sunfire understood her fears all too well, for he too had been troubled by similar thoughts. If he could reach her, he would’ve tried to place a reassuring claw on her shoulder, but all he had were mere words.
“I’m sorry. I’m just as afraid of losing you, after everything you’ve done for me, I’d have gone mad by now if you hadn’t been here to tell me about the wonders of this world. Listen, when the war ends...will you come with me?” His speech came to a halt when he realised the implications of what he’d just uttered. He’d tossed in the offer without thinking, but where would they even go, why would she even come with him?
Soleil did not answer him for awhile after that. He was beginning to genuinely worry if he’d pushed her too far, perhaps this sort of topic wasn’t the best to bring up now, they were still a long ways away from freedom as far as he knew, anyway. Perhaps it was too soon, and he wasn’t even certain if she had a home to return to, asking her to abandon it to go with him was probably too selfish for her to even remotely consider.
“...forget I said -”
“I’ll go with you. The lands my parents brought me to, the sights we saw and the memories we made… I want to revisit them with you.” Soleil’s voice hitched slightly, if he hadn’t known better he would have sworn she was fighting back tears. “We don’t know if there’s anyone out there waiting for us, but we have each other. Don’t you see?”
“There’s no one else I’d rather make the journey with than you.”
Speechless with shock, it was Sunfire’s turn to lapse into silence. Not once had he expected Soleil to seriously consider his request, he hadn’t even meant to ask in the first place, though he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t hoped for it. The thud of his heartbeats sounded oddly amplified now, or was it just him? It was just as if he were young again, this feeling of yearning to be connected to someone else, the need to stay beside them till the end of their days. As occupied as he had been with his duties and the war breaking out, love or any form of commitment had never made it to his list of priorities - why commit to someone when you might not survive to return home to them?
Yet here they were, stuck in dreary prison cells and separated by a wall, neither knowing what the future held in store for them both. Somehow along the way, whether it had been the first, the tenth, perhaps even the 57th story they’d traded, Sunfire had known that he wanted to stay by her side even after they were freed. It had been an unspoken wish, a slow blossoming of affection, yet his feelings had grown all the same. Now knowing that Soleil shared the same feelings, and when faced with such a sincere confession, how could he possibly say no?
“There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side, Soleil.”
“I place my fate with yours, and pledge my life to you.”
Perhaps, if he had been able to see her at the moment, he would’ve seen the tears spilling from her eyes, as well as the brightness in her smile. It was not till several months later that they were liberated at last at the hands of their former allies, though the land Sunfire once called home was no longer under his king’s control. It didn’t matter.
Sunfire did not need to look at her to know who she was. He recognised her once he heard her lilting voice, the very same one that he had been content to sit and listen to for hours on end while she wove her tales of exploration and adventure.
“So we meet at last.”
His reward for the light joke was a playful cuff on the head, which Sunfire accepted without complaint. After all, they’d technically met months ago, though this was his first time meeting her face to face.
The day of their liberation was the day their journey across the world began. Every evening, just before dusk, they would halt just to watch the glorious sunset together, the colors of the sky reflecting off their bodies and bathing them in a warm glow. Even now Sunfire still recalled his mentor’s words with every passing sunset he witnessed, apart from a single exceptional change he’d made.
Cherish every sunset with your loved ones. You never know if it’s the last time you see either of them again.
-lore written by rei711
“YES, SIR, GENERAL SUNFIRE, SIR!”
“Good. May luck smile on you.”
Once, his name had been hailed as that of a hero’s. Hordes of dragons of all ages, colours and breeds alike would gather in the city marketplace to cheer him and the army he led against their country’s enemies after every successful battle, flowers and offerings tossed at his feet as they celebrated his triumphant return. Sunfire would lead his battalion of soldiers trooping through the city streets, all the way back to the royal barracks that were their home, and at every step of the way there would be praises sung of his bravery, his exploits, the courage that shone as bright as the starry constellations mapped across his body.
Battles were arduous and tedious affairs. Some could last hours, others could go on for days, weeks at a time, until both parties were equally exhausted. As occupied as he was with discussing tactics with his advisors and commanders-in-arms alike, Sunfire always made time for one thing: the sunset. The way the sky would be awash in a glorious blaze of light for several fleeting minutes, the way the orange and gold hues would tint the clouds drifting by, even the way those bright colours faded into lilac dusk was mesmerising, every single moment of it. It was something he had picked up after his mentor had left him with his final words.
“Cherish every sunset. You never know if it’s the last you’ll see before you die.”
If his king ordered him to march, he would do it. If ordered to fight and die, so be it. Sunfire had been born and raised as a warrior ever since he had hatched and learnt to breathe fire. There had been defeats, times when he had to fall back, but this time his king had commanded him to seize the opposing side’s base, and to make sure it was theirs no matter what it took. The past months had been spent fending off attack after attack on their own country’s heartland, and it had been decided that it was best to send a small, elite force to strike back at the heart of the enemy while the bulk of their army stood at their gates. With no leader to direct the masses, the enemy army would surely be crushed under the weight of their own numbers eventually.
All had gone according to plan. His group had infiltrated the foe’s capital without alerting them, and even now were en route to the tower where their general was said to be. So far, it had been ludicrously easy to sneak past the guards posted, to take down those who stood in their way and silence them before they alerted anyone else.
He should have known it was just too easy to be true.
It had all been a trap. Somehow they’d known of the ambush, and before any of them could lay a single claw on their objective, the entirety of their little band had been rounded up by troops over double their numbers, though he was relieved to see that most had not been badly wounded in the skirmish. They would let the entire group go free, they were told, in exchange for one General Sunfire.
With an ultimatum like that, how could he possibly have abandoned the dragons who had supported him through every battle, whom he trusted to watch his back through thick and thin?
So here he was. Dingy walls, chained to the walls with reinforced shackles, the occasional chilly draft blowing through the rusted iron bars of his little cell. Trapped as he was in within these lonely confines, left mostly alone to rot in his own failure, the once-bright sheen of his scales had dulled to an almost lifeless color, the swirls along his body appearing to be ink marks, so devoid of shine were they. How fitting, he mused, it was like being stripped of his medals of honour, now his hide was reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory.
Sunfire knew nothing more of the world above, save the whispers he overheard from the guards, and what news he did hear was bleak. His home capital had fallen into enemy hands, their allies had deserted long ago to save their own hides. What bitter tears he had shed that night, when he had grieved for the loss of his homeland and his people. Few had been left alive, he’d been told, their warriors had fought to the last and screamed his name as they were struck down, still believing in him even from afar.
In short, the kingdom was doomed, and the war was lost.
My king, I have failed you, and our lands.
Perhaps the only thing left for him to do was waste away in his prison. After all, he had nothing left to fight for. No king, no country, no more brothers-in-arms or family to speak of, no more hopes and dreams of glorious battles to come…
When was the last time he had even seen the light of day?
When was the last time he had stood and watched the sunset under the open skies?
It was the one thing that had been constant for more than half of his life. Every evening, standing just outside the camp’s outskirts, watching the sun lower past the horizon and glorify the evening skies with its colors...something so simple, yet so out of his reach, now that he had nothing to look out from but a set of iron bars through a solid wall. A pang of nostalgia struck him then, a desperate yearning to return to the glory days of old, to never have made such a grave mistake...but alas, it was impossible.
Lost in his musings, it took him awhile to notice the odd scraping sound coming from the wall beside him. Only when the noise began to grate on his nerves did he bother getting up to snarl half-heartedly at the cause of the annoyance. The scraping ceased for a moment.
“General...Sunfire?”
Golden eyes blinked open with a start, no one had addressed him by such a title ever since he’d been captured and locked in here. That had been weeks now, he’d counted the days with scratch marks on the walls each time they brought a daily meal. So who could be calling his name?
“...who’s there?”
Whoever it was on the other side of the wall gave a little gasp, as if they hadn’t expected him to answer at all.
“I was just wondering if you were alright, that’s all. I know they’ve barely given you enough to live off, neither have you been out of that cell since they brought you here.” A pause. “It must be hard on you.”
He snorted bitterly, a meager plume of smoke curling from his jaws. “Complaining about it won’t get me out of here, and even if I did, I...have nothing to return to. My homeland is gone, my family, my kinsmen...likely dead or under control now.” His eyes closed for a moment, the sudden tightness in his throat welling up once more. “And it was my fault. As the leader of our forces...I should not have let this happen. I should’ve been there to defend the city until the last moment, then die fighting, if need be.” His claws scratched at the ground in frustration, fresh anguish swelling in his chest until it felt like he would drown in it. What was the use of all his years spent in service, if he had not been there with his sworn liege and kingdom in their last moments?
“...do you miss it?”
The voice echoing from beside his cell sounded curious, though Sunfire had no inkling as to what they were referring to. What was there to miss that hadn’t already been taken away from him? When he did not respond, the dragon on the other side of the wall tried again.
“The sunset, I mean. My brother...he was part of your battalion. He always told me about how you’d watch every single sunset, provided you weren’t, er, fighting, that is.” A pause, then a light trilling laugh, the first joyous sound that he’d heard since his time in this prison. It soothed him, somewhat, just to know that there was still some goodness in this world, even if he might be trapped in here.
Sunfire cleared his raspy throat, suddenly wishing he hadn’t finished the meager ration of water so quickly earlier. “I miss it. The way the colours light up the sky...even if the ground is painted red, the skies will always be breathtakingly beautiful. It’s something that...has never changed since the beginning of time.” His words trailed off, without thinking his eyes had closed just to picture those wondrous sights once more in his mind.
“...except I can’t remember how it looks like anymore.”
Even now the images seemed a little hazy, he was already beginning to forget how the sunset looked like and that saddened him considerably. From beyond the wall, his new companion was mute, Sunfire was about to turn away and give up hope when her voice filtered through the cracks of the wall once more.
“The sun’s going down. The skies are streaked with bright fire and molten gold now, the clouds are tinted a soft orangey pink from the sun. I can see the edges of the horizon, it’s lined with lilac so pale you might just miss it if you weren’t looking hard enough.”
Yes, he could see it now. The way the sun dipped below the mountains at the end of an arduous battle, the fading gold streaked with bright fuchsia, the way even the clouds would appear to be dyed cottoncandy pink from the sun’s reflection. The way the last fading remnants of the sun’s warmth would linger, just for a fleeting moment, before the cooling night breeze swept over him, as if signalling an end to the show. Even so, he would stay just to watch the soft pinks morph into steadily deepening indigo that stained the sky, and then for a little longer as night rolled in, taking with it the last traces of glorious color.
“Can you see it?”
His eyes snapped open, his world once more confined to the dingy grey walls that surrounded him. For a moment Sunfire nearly cried out in protest at having his visions shattered, the visceral anguish of the loss felt as if a part of his soul had been cruelly ripped from him, so real had it felt. He caught himself before the sound could escape, though he could feel himself trembling, filled with fresh longing to see his beloved sunsets once more under the open skies.
Only then did it cross his mind that the dragon in the cell beside him had been the one to conjure such magical illusions for him, Sunfire hurriedly dragging himself closer to the wall to pour forth his thanks without needing to raise his voice. An amused chuckle was his answer, followed by the scraping of chains from the other side as his newfound companion shifted closer to continue the conversation as well.
“I have a little window that faces out to the sea, where I can see the sunset from,” she murmured, and after a short pause, added, “and I figured it would be nice if I could somehow help you see them too.”
“...that is very much appreciated.” The words felt so hopelessly inadequate when they tumbled forth, yet it was all Sunfire could think to say, so overcome with gratitude to this kind-hearted soul was he. Finally, he had something to look forward to, someone who was willing to help make his days spent in isolation a little less lonely. It was pleasant, to say the least, to have someone to exchange idle words with, someone to keep his mind from wandering and preserve his sanity.
Soleil was her name. It translated to “setting sun” in a foreign language, she told him, a keepsake of the times her parents had journeyed to other lands. She would regale him with vivid descriptions of the places she had visited, the wonders and exotic beauties of the world she had witnessed, the likes of which Sunfire had never even dreamed of. Sometimes Soleil would reminisce about the memories she had made with her family, the times they’d all enjoyed life together before the war. Other times it would be stories of her childhood with her brother, but everyday without fail, she would study the sunset and paint such vibrantly vivid pictures of it for him with just her descriptions alone.
She had a way with words that made the places come to life in his mind even if he’d never actually been there. It was a gift from the gods, or at least that was what Sunfire liked to praise her with.
“You know, someday, I’d like to go back and visit all those places again...just for the memories.”
In exchange, when it was his turn to speak, he would proudly present her with grand tales of the battles he had fought in, the thrill of adrenaline coursing through his veins before each fight, how the tides of war would shift and change over time. If one wasn’t observant enough to catch the signs and change their strategy, then there would be no second chances, not in war, he warned her. Sometimes you got lucky, or your foes made mistakes, but for most part there were any number of things that could get you killed out on the frontlines if you weren’t alert. Sunfire was no storyteller, but he did his due best to describe how it was like to fight for your life alongside fellow brothers-in-arms, how the heat of battle would sweep through his veins like quicksilver. Always, Soleil would remain respectfully silent till the very end, until sometimes even he forgot she was his sole audience.
It always hurt, having to return to cold reality after hours of trading stories back and forth. Sometimes the guards would interrupt them, mock them both for such “foolish fairytales”. Those were the days they would be forced to lapse into silence, but at least now he knew there was someone beside him who shared the same suffering as he did, and that thought alone was enough to keep him going. At some point it felt as if they’d known each other their entire lives, that was how much of themselves they had shared with each other.
Occasionally he was paraded through the streets of the enemy capital, but all that would wound was his pride, and frankly, Sunfire had already abandoned that long ago. It wasn’t as if he particularly cared for how these dragons viewed him, neither would stones or trash hurled faze him when he was accustomed to scorching flames or crackling lightning bursting in his face.
When he returned from these, Soleil was always awake to check on him, regardless of whether the hour was late. Sunfire tried to brush off her concerns, what could they possibly do to him that he had not already experienced in all his years?
“Each time you go, I don’t know if you’ll come back. I don’t know if they decided to publicly execute you, or shift you somewhere else…”
An bitter snort slipped past his lips, Sunfire hastily forestalling her before she took offense. “There’s no need for your concern. I have no one else left to mourn for me if they choose to kill me, and they likely will let you go once this war is over. Save your time for someone more important, like yourself.”
There was a pregnant pause at that moment, broken only when Soleil uttered an incredulous noise, halfway between a snort and an indignant huff.
“No one left? Your people, your city...they still remember you. And even if they don’t, I will.”
“A poor decision, really…”
The sudden clanking of chains being rattled irritably startled him for a moment. From his side of the wall he could make out the sound of Soleil drawing in a deep breath as if preparing to launch a tirade of words, perhaps he had overdone it this time…?
“What I’m saying is that even if you don’t feel like anyone cares...I do. I loved swapping stories with you, and I still do. Please, you’re the only friend I have in here, I just hate the thought that one day, we’ll talk for the last time… and then I’ll never hear from you again.”
Her voice was shaking faintly, it made him ashamed to think he’d upset her. Deep down, Sunfire understood her fears all too well, for he too had been troubled by similar thoughts. If he could reach her, he would’ve tried to place a reassuring claw on her shoulder, but all he had were mere words.
“I’m sorry. I’m just as afraid of losing you, after everything you’ve done for me, I’d have gone mad by now if you hadn’t been here to tell me about the wonders of this world. Listen, when the war ends...will you come with me?” His speech came to a halt when he realised the implications of what he’d just uttered. He’d tossed in the offer without thinking, but where would they even go, why would she even come with him?
Soleil did not answer him for awhile after that. He was beginning to genuinely worry if he’d pushed her too far, perhaps this sort of topic wasn’t the best to bring up now, they were still a long ways away from freedom as far as he knew, anyway. Perhaps it was too soon, and he wasn’t even certain if she had a home to return to, asking her to abandon it to go with him was probably too selfish for her to even remotely consider.
“...forget I said -”
“I’ll go with you. The lands my parents brought me to, the sights we saw and the memories we made… I want to revisit them with you.” Soleil’s voice hitched slightly, if he hadn’t known better he would have sworn she was fighting back tears. “We don’t know if there’s anyone out there waiting for us, but we have each other. Don’t you see?”
“There’s no one else I’d rather make the journey with than you.”
Speechless with shock, it was Sunfire’s turn to lapse into silence. Not once had he expected Soleil to seriously consider his request, he hadn’t even meant to ask in the first place, though he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t hoped for it. The thud of his heartbeats sounded oddly amplified now, or was it just him? It was just as if he were young again, this feeling of yearning to be connected to someone else, the need to stay beside them till the end of their days. As occupied as he had been with his duties and the war breaking out, love or any form of commitment had never made it to his list of priorities - why commit to someone when you might not survive to return home to them?
Yet here they were, stuck in dreary prison cells and separated by a wall, neither knowing what the future held in store for them both. Somehow along the way, whether it had been the first, the tenth, perhaps even the 57th story they’d traded, Sunfire had known that he wanted to stay by her side even after they were freed. It had been an unspoken wish, a slow blossoming of affection, yet his feelings had grown all the same. Now knowing that Soleil shared the same feelings, and when faced with such a sincere confession, how could he possibly say no?
“There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side, Soleil.”
“I place my fate with yours, and pledge my life to you.”
Perhaps, if he had been able to see her at the moment, he would’ve seen the tears spilling from her eyes, as well as the brightness in her smile. It was not till several months later that they were liberated at last at the hands of their former allies, though the land Sunfire once called home was no longer under his king’s control. It didn’t matter.
Sunfire did not need to look at her to know who she was. He recognised her once he heard her lilting voice, the very same one that he had been content to sit and listen to for hours on end while she wove her tales of exploration and adventure.
“So we meet at last.”
His reward for the light joke was a playful cuff on the head, which Sunfire accepted without complaint. After all, they’d technically met months ago, though this was his first time meeting her face to face.
The day of their liberation was the day their journey across the world began. Every evening, just before dusk, they would halt just to watch the glorious sunset together, the colors of the sky reflecting off their bodies and bathing them in a warm glow. Even now Sunfire still recalled his mentor’s words with every passing sunset he witnessed, apart from a single exceptional change he’d made.
Cherish every sunset with your loved ones. You never know if it’s the last time you see either of them again.
-lore written by rei711
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