Opal and Ulf walked through the Basil Gardens, side by side, so close that Ulf's fur was almost brushing Opal's scales. The pair had spent a lot of time together since Opal's arrival. Ulf was just so full of questions. Had she really been sent by the Gladekeeper? Why him? He had devoted himself to the Icewarden. Of course, the Icewarden and his gaolers had rejected him, but he was still set in his ways.
Then there was the whole strangeness of being some else's charge. What were these feelings that caused this guardian to cross flights to find him? He felt echoes, in the way he cared for Larkin, but he knew it was more a sense of duty than an innate need to protect that bound the two together. The thought of needing protection himself was almost laughable, but Opal had completely different plans. She seemed to be looking out for him spiritually, connecting him to his roots.
"I know you think your destiny lies in chains and stone, but let me tell you, there is something beautiful about the way that nature nurtures and restores," Opal explained. "Take me for example. I shouldn't even be alive, but the Gladekeeper took pity on me. She built me this body, and raised me as her own. I have her spirit within me, guiding me, her breath keeps me going. It's truly beautiful."
Ulf nodded, trying his best not to feel uncomfortable. He had turned his back on his birth flight, but apparently the Gladekeeper had not turned her back on him.
"I'm not going to be able to be here forever," Opal sighed. "The curse of my mother, the Gladekeeper can't hold it off forever, not without being in her presence. And here, I am so far from her. The Shade is rampant here, and it makes it hard to connect with her sometimes." The guardian winced, as though something were paining her. "You have to listen to me. This kingdom is not going to be saved by tradition and structures. The preservation of ice will only stall the darkness and hold it in place, it will not vanquish it. This kingdom can only be saved if you embrace change. This is the beauty of nature; it grows as it needs to, adapting to the challenges and opposition it faces."
She stopped next to the tower at the edge of the garden for a moment before ducking inside. Much of the tower had been damaged by an ancient fire, and they had to duck under fallen beams and step over piles of rubble. Eventually, with a huge push, Opal broke into another garden, closed off from the rest of the kingdom by precarious structures and charred walls.
Between the damaged stone, however, was something of great beauty. It was surprisingly green and lush, the plants within having thrived over the years. Ivy crawled high up the walls, claiming them as their own. Flowers bloomed in a variety of colours and a few fruit trees dotted the gardens.
"The ash from the fire gave these plants the nutrients they needed. They fed them so they could grow big and strong," Opal explained. "And look at how they've transformed the landscape around them. The broken walls have not hindered them, but given them to space to grow."
The guardian's voice was beginning to grow raspy, like something was caught in her throat.
"You should rest," Ulf pushed. "Perhaps we've done enough today."
Opal shook her head. "My time has come. I have done what I was sent to do. It is your job to do the rest. Embrace who you were born to be. Stop trying to pretend to be who you are not. You were brought here for a reason, and you are exactly where you need to be."
"What do you mean your time has come?" Ulf began to grow panicked. "You only just got here!"
"I'm not leaving you, Ulf. I will still be here, calling out to you, singing out to you. I just will no longer be able to speak with my mouth," Opal said, her eyes glistening sadly. "My mother was cursed to be encased in marble. It appears my destiny is to be embraced by stone as well."
As she spoke, Ulf could see the sheen beginning to cover her scales. She was paling. The gleam of her eyes was not from tears, but from the emeralds they were becoming. The gaoler was helpless to do anything as before his eyes, the gaoler became opal. She stood in the garden as through she had been standing there her entire life, cold and lifeless, staring into his eyes with a pleading expression. Ulf had never seen anything like it before.
The guardian had given him a lot to think about in her brief span with him. Perhaps she was right. Tradition was only leading the Forgotten Kingdom to the same fate it had met previously, with a bitter prince seeking to destroy what his family had built. If they wanted to win this fight, they had to take a different approach.
Tiffany looked up as Xavier wandered out of the bedroom, looking exhausted.
"Did you dream again?" Tiffany asked, looking up from the pair of eggs she was tending.
"When do I not dream?" Xavier asked grouchily, his low voice sounding gravelly.
"Was it the song again?" Tiffany lit up, feeling herself tremble with excitement.
"It's getting louder, and stronger. Something is shifting. Something new is coming. It's coming from the Ashfall Wastes," Xavier growled. "Last night, I walked in the dreams of a coatl girl returning to the land of her breed's creation, pulled by some force she could not identify. I tried to speak to her, but she would not listen. She said something about finding her lost kin."
"I wish we weren't so caught up here," Tiffany moaned, looking forlornly at the eggs. "I would love to see the Ashfall Wastes. Why do all the exciting things happen as soon as it's harder to pick up and leave?"
Xavier chuckled. "There will be many more adventures, my dear. I promise, I'll keep you posted about what happens in the Fire Flight. You won't miss out on a thing."
"This is madness," Elladan grumbled. It was hard to tell the flow of time after being underground for so long, even for an experienced tunneler such as himself, but they must have been travelling for weeks. Judging by the occasional drips from above, they had wound their way across the depths of the Sea of a Thousand currents. Now they were rising once more towards the surface - something Elladan was eagerly awaiting. The sooner he could dry off, the better.
Still Gillian was relentless in his quest, following the music only he could hear. As the days passed, the ground they traversed grew harder and hotter, appearing more as hardened magma than soil.
When the light of day reached the ridgeback's eyes once more, it was accompanied by the warm glow of fire. They were in the Ashfall Wastes. As the pair rose to the surface, a beautiful melody echoed through the tunnels, rising from the entrance.
Elladan could here the song too. It tugged at his feet, calling him onwards.
Our future did lie within one embrace,
If you should fly free, remember our song
Picking up their pace, Elladan and Gillian soon broke out of the cave, their scales bathed in sunlight for the first time in weeks. Around them, the heat of furnaces and forges fueled by lava burned, causing Gillian to shift slightly in discomfort. Elladan however, built to withstand the heat of the Shifting Expanse, felt at home. Both dragons were so entranced by the music, they failed to notice that they had emerged amidst a crew of working blacksmith dragons.
"Great Arcanist!" A wildclaw swore, "What's gotten into you two? Don't you realize where you are? You can't just wander into the Thunderforge like this!"
Elladan stared blankly at her. Didn't she hear the song?
"You idiots. Come with me, before we get in trouble," The wildclaw shook her head and lead the pair of dragons away from the workspace and down another tunnel.
This was not what Elladan had planned when he had set off to find Crius' Vault for Jett. He just hoped this would lead him somewhere worthwhile as well.
Evika has been warned, as an ice dragon, to avoid the Ashfall Wastes. She did not know what it was that made her throw all cation into the winds, but for the past few weeks, she had been having strange dreams.
It was always the same dream; voices rising from the Ashfall Waste in song. Evika had learned long ago not to ignore her dreams. She was no water dragon, but some said ice was just water holding memories instead of flowing with them, Sometimes, prophecy bubbles got captured in the ice, and sometimes an ice dragon was born with the ability to see the future. Ever since she was a child, her dreams had shown her the future, though never something quite so big.
She knew the Ashfall Waste was where she needed to be, and she knew that she would meet someone important there. Some long-lost family. Perhaps someone related to her father. He hailed from the Ashfall Waste, after all.
Whatever this was, history was about to be made on Sornieth, and Evika was going to be present for it. It was time to take a step out and follow her destiny.
Tiffany and Xavier won the poll, so they're on a nest as we speak! I am so excited!
On the other hand, I am so mad at the loss of Opal. It was so stupid. I had her in the training fields with Pomona and Darkstar, and I could have backed out. I should have backed out to heal everyone, but my Coli days have been so boring lately and I let my guard down. I thought she would be fine, then some creature landed a critical hit and that was all it took. She was only here for two days. I was so excited to have her and have a connection to Leopardmask's pinkerlocke. And now she's gone...
If anyone wants to claim Opal, you have until 24:59 FR Time tomorrow (Monday) to do so.
Also, in case you are wondering why I have two familiar pulls when I just wrote yesterday, CleverDual got them both yesterday and today, so it's new dragon time! Special thanks to @
SkullGiest for Evika! She's from my pending dragons, and she hold a connection to one of my dragons what will be revealed very soon.
I'm so hyped for tomorrow, and whatever that will bring.
