by Rains, Nina
I took a deep breath to soothe myself. “Get me out of here,” I whispered.
Renisham nodded. He took a step away from me and shifted into a dragon. He knelt down and offered his tail to me. I looked at Nyxia. She faded into the ice.
“Let’s go, Aurora,” Renisham said.
I smiled and crawled from his tail to his neck. He melted an opening on the ice and we flew up towards the tip of the mountain.
I was surprised when Renisham brought me to a different part of the mountain. The cave was covered with ice, but it was thicker and smoother.
Renisham knelt down and scooped me with his tail. I smiled and looked around the new cave. The cave had a hole at the ceiling. I could see the orange sky, as the new morn was about to rise.
“Welcome back, princess,” Ampharos greeted.
I gulped when I saw Ampharos. He was half-naked. His body was no longer pale, but a shiny bronze. I tried to stop my mind from thinking, but I could not. I thought that he looked more beautiful with his bronze skin.
To my surprise, Ampharos did not react to my thoughts. I looked around the room and stopped when I met Renisham’s gaze. He still had not shifted back to his human form.
“We are forbidden to read minds in this room,” Renisham told me.
I exhaled a loud breath. Finally, I could think freely. I looked around to find Latias. Right! I shouted in my mind. He had some explaining to do. I was sure that he knew about his mother’s plan. Did he really hate me that much?
“Where is he?” Renisham asked Ampharos.
Ampharos melted a layer of ice. A layer of soil was under the ice. He blew on the soil and it flew like dust. A golden wall was revealed.
I was startled when Renisham blew on the gold. The gold melted and the gold seeped into the floor of the cave. An ice wall was revealed from under the gold.
My eyes widened when I saw Latias behind the wall. He was in his true human form. The magic that blocked his true self had vanished. He was as beautiful as his dragon form.
Latias looked at me for a moment. His eyes looked relieved that I still stood before him. Then, he became ashamed and looked away.
I inhaled a sudden breath. A strange emotion showered all over me. It was extremely strong.
“Let him go,” I said. I looked at Renisham and repeated, “Let him go!”
“He wanted to kill you,” Ampharos told me.
Ampharos was right. I knew I should be angry with him, but I could not bear any ill feelings towards him. Somehow, he was the most transparent of all the brothers. I could see through him. I could see his emotions towards his brothers and me. He liked me. He cared for me.
Latias had the weakest heart among the brothers. His mother persuaded him to wear magic that would prevent him from feeling any affection towards any human. I understood the reason I felt so distant from him. It was not him or me. It was the magic that he wore.
I looked at Ampharos and Renisham. “He had his reasons,” I uttered. I looked at Renisham again and ordered, “Release him.”
Renisham melted the ice. Latias dropped on the floor. I hurried next to him.
“Stop!” Latias said before I could reach him.
“No!” I ordered when Latias’ hair started to change. “You don’t have to hinder your emotions.”
Latias did not heed my request. He let his magic cover him again. Strangely, my feelings for him began to mellow. I knew I felt something special, but now, I could bear to be angry with him.
I glared at him and swung a fist on his face. He received it as if he deserved it. He did deserve it! I wanted to punch him again, but Renisham stopped me.
“As you said, he had his reasons,” Renisham reminded me. “I’ll take you back to your castle.”
“What?” Latias and Ampharos asked in unison.
Renisham gave Latias a sharp look and explained, “I took her because I wanted her out of danger, but this place is more dangerous for her.”
Renisham slipped his fingers into my fingers and pulled me back to the entrance of the cave. Ampharos and Latias wanted to stop him, but they hesitated when he gave them his alpha stare.
Did he want me out of danger? A strange happiness wrapped around my heart. I wanted to ask Renisham for his reasons, but he suddenly carried me and pulled me close to his chest. He looked at me. A gold spark appeared in his cold blue eyes when he stared straight into my eyes.
Renisham transformed into a dragon right before my eyes. It did not shock me anymore. He bowed his large dragonhead a little and spread his wings. We flew out of the mountain. He carried me close to his chest until we crossed the borders of Elastin.
* * *
“Your Highness!” Amara called as she and the other warriors rushed into my chamber.
They all stepped back when they saw Renisham in my window. Amara gave a sign to our soldiers to aim at Renisham.
“I can handle him,” I ordered Amara. “Step out.”
“But, your Highness, he could…,”
“Amara, he’s a friend. Do not worry about me,” I convinced her. “Just watch over Saicin and the kingdom for now.”
Amara wanted to object but I gave her an authoritative look. She bowed and ordered the others to leave with her.
I was startled when I turned to Renisham. He had returned to his human form. He had a wide smile on his face while he looked at the door.
Amara was still walking out of the door. My teeth clenched and my eyebrows crooked in anger. Why did he smile like that at the sight of Amara?
“If you want an Elastinian woman, I could arrange for you,” I said in an angry tone.
Renisham looked at me. His smile turned to a chuckle. He raised his hand to touch my cheek, but he stopped. He shook his head and said, “My mother told you that I could glimpse into the future, didn’t she?”
I frowned at the thought of Nyxia. “Maybe,” I said in disinterest.
Renisham snorted and said, “That woman is the heaven’s gift to Elastin.”
“Amara?” I asked. I looked at the door and back to Renisham. I laughed and said, “I don’t need a power to know that she is. Her family has always been loyal to Elastin. She is not just our protector, but also a friend of mine. A loyal and a trusted friend.”
Renisham nodded. He looked around my chamber. A suspicious smile developed across his face when his eyes landed on my bed.
“What?” I asked. A strange excitement accompanied my voice.
I looked at my chamber. Contrary to my image, my room was still feminine. Of course, I was still a woman. I loved wearing dresses that made me feel and look beautiful after those exhausting hours of wearing my armor.
“I’m sorry for abducting you,” Renisham told me while I was looking around my room.
I turned to him and our eyes met again. The gold spark in his blue eyes appeared again. Somehow, I learned how their eyes show their feelings.
Renisham bowed and walked out to the balcony of my room. I ran after him and said, “Wait. You said you wanted me out of danger. Why did you say that?”
Renisham turned to me. His wings spread behind him, while he was still in his human form.
“A war is coming upon Elastin,” Renisham told me. “I promised to save you, but that is all I can promise.”
“Wait!” I called again when Renisham was about to turn away from me.
I looked at him for a while. He knew about the prophecy, too. However, like Latias, he was a brother and he wanted to protect them. He did not want to help us because it would put his brothers in danger.
“How much of the prophecy do you know?” I asked. “Did you see it through your power or did your mother tell you about it?”
Renisham looked at me with curious eyes. His wings shrank back into his skin as he answered, “My mother told me.”
Nyxia. I did not trust her anymore. She must have played a trick on her sons’ minds. Latias shielded his feelings with magic because of her. She must have tricked Renisham, too.
“Wha
t exactly did she tell you?” I asked.
“Everything. How a woman would need all our three hearts to defeat Dratini,” Renisham explained. He seemed offended because I made her doubt her mother. “And, how it would kill one of us.”
Just as I thought. Nyxia did not tell him the whole truth. I was sure that what she told me was the truth. Why else would she kill me?
“No. She lied, Renisham,” I told him. “Your hearts and my heart would cleanse Dratini’s soul and would make him ascend to the heavens.”
My voice trailed down when I realized something. Nyxia did not lie! She only told the truth differently. The prophecy would make them all vanish. I found myself in a puzzle, all of a sudden. Would I let them vanish or let Elastin vanish?
“What you said did not make any sense,” Renisham uttered.
I looked at him. I was offended. He did not believe me. Well, it should be as expected. Nyxia was their mother.
“It is impossible,” Renisham added
“What is impossible?” I asked. “That she did not tell you the whole truth?”
“No. It is impossible for a woman to bear all our hearts,” Renisham answered.
“W-what do you mean?”
“The Gods set a condition to make the prophecy impossible,” Renisham started.
“If I am the woman in the prophecy, perhaps I could comply with it,” I countered.
Renisham looked at me and shook his head. He spread his wings again. I ran and hugged him tightly. He froze. His body turned into red and gold, but he froze.
“I would not let you leave without telling me,” I said while my body pressed his body.
Renisham looked down on me as I looked up to him. Slowly, his body warmed up. He ran a hand on my hair. His other hand held my chin.
He lifted my chin up and leaned closer. My heart thumped hard in my chest. My breathing slowed down and my mouth trembled, as it opened slightly. His lips slid into mine. My eyes closed. It was my first kiss and my heart danced between a dream and reality. He moved his lips slowly and I moved along with him. Our lips became wet and hot. We could not get enough of it so we kissed deeper.
My eyes opened when he inserted his tongue into my mouth. I tried to push it out with my tongue. However, the moment our tongues met, the kiss changed. It became more intense – sweeter in a sense. We both became thirsty for each other’s mouths.
Renisham’s hands slipped on to my hips. Mine went up to his neck. He lifted me a little. My legs wrapped around his hips instinctively. Our faces leveled each other. He pulled away a little and we looked into each other’s eyes. He wanted to say something, but I stopped him with my mouth. I was not even sure if I had enough time to breathe.
He kissed me back. My hands threaded his snow-colored hair. I pulled back when I felt something twitch on his lower torso. I gulped when I realized that it was his manhood. I looked at Renisham. His body sparkled into red and gold.
I wanted to slide my legs off his hips, but he stopped me. He lifted me higher and pulled me closer to him. His body became hotter and his sparkles became intense.
A sudden breath escaped my mouth when I felt his manhood twitch again. It twitched near my womanhood and it felt strange. Strange, but I wanted to feel it again.
The shameless poison in my mind spread unto my body. I pressed my hips closer. His manhood twitched again. Strange energy traveled all over me. My body became hot and my heart felt elated.
Renisham kissed me again and I kissed back with the same passion. He groaned when I rubbed my womanhood on his groin.
He pulled away from my lips. His body had turned into flaming red. His breaths were hotter than before. I felt his manhood grew bigger, too. He looked at me. The pupils of his eyes had turned red and gold.
“Ouch!” I exclaimed when his lips touched mine once again.
His lips were too hot that my lips almost burned. He unwrapped my legs from his hips and pushed me away. He took a deep breath and exhaled only after his body had turned into its pale state.
Renisham looked at me with frustrated eyes. “To give you our hearts, you would need to have a union with us. That is the condition added by the heavens. That is the reason the prophecy is impossible. ”
I had to have the three hearts to fulfill the prophecy. How could it be? It was impossible for a woman to make love to a dragon.
“You are also a priestess, your Highness,” Renisham reminded me. “Even if the prophecy is true, you may not be the woman in that prophecy.”
Renisham bowed. He spread his wings and transformed into his dragon form before I could counter him. As he vanished from my sight, I was left staring at the night sky. The heavens. I was never really an admirer of the heavens. I wondered if they were playing with me now.
I glared at the sky. I was not the woman in the prophecy?
“I will become that woman!” I yelled aloud.
Chapter Seven
Have you lost your mind?” Saicin asked.
My sister looked at me in disbelief. I asked her to abolish the temple. It was the only way that I could be stripped off from my position as the high priestess.
“We cannot do that,” Saicin said. She walked out to the balcony of her chamber. I followed her. She turned to me and added, “The heavens would forsake us.”
“Saicin, it is the only way that I could win the hearts of the dragons,” I confessed.
“No!” Saicin insisted. “You chose to be the high priestess. That was the destiny you chose. You shall only serve me and the heavens.”
I gazed at Saicin, but my gaze faded when Saicin looked at me with her sincere eyes. She touched my hair gently and added, “That dragon may be right. You are not the woman…”
“I am going to be that woman,” I countered before Saicin could finish her statement. A part of me had become desperate to become the woman in the prophecy. “I will be that woman,” I repeated.
Saicin shook her head. “I would not abolish the temple, Aurora. If you want to be stripped off of your position, you would have to commit one of the deadly sins against me or the heavens.”
I did not know what to reply. There were only three deadly sins that could make me unworthy to be the high priestess – murder, treason, and suicide.
I had killed dozens or hundreds, maybe, but I had not killed a person without a reason. I did not have the heart to murder anyone for my own interest. Betrayal was not an option. I would never betray Saicin. There was only one deadly sin left, but it was the riskiest of them all. Take my own life.
I looked at the New East Mountain. Are you watching me? I wondered. They could see far more than I could. I held on to my chest as I convinced myself to do what I planned.
Saicin looked at me with doubt and asked in a worried voice, “Aurora, what are you thinking?”
I bowed to Saicin and flashed a confident smile. I lifted my gown and stepped back a little. Saicin turned pale. She wanted to stop me, but I had made up my mind. I quickly threw myself off the balcony.
“Aurora!” Saicin’s terrified voice echoed all over the castle.
I closed my eyes and convinced myself to be calm. The dragons would come and save me. They would, wouldn’t they? Not all of them, maybe. However, I was sure Renisham would come and save me. He did not want me in danger. He would come to save me.
My heart jumped with joy when I felt someone flying below me. Renisham, I thought. I opened my eyes happily when I fell on a dragon’s back. However, my eyes widened in shock when I saw the dragon. It was not Renisham, but Latias!
I froze for a moment because of his scales. His body was different from Renisham. His scales were smoother, like carefully sculpted ice. He was cold but tolerable to the touch.
Latias turned to me and our eyes met. His eyes flashed the snowflake again, but this time, it did not fade. A strange feeling rushed all over me. The same feeling when I first saw him in his true human form. A feeling of being special and a feeling of being connected to him in a special way.
My
heart raced like a possessed horse. I was beyond happy. I was ecstatic. It was not only because the dragons watched over me, but also because I realized Latias’ affection towards me.
“You saved me,” I told him.
“Do not overthink, Princess,” Latias answered. “I only want to apologize for what I did to you.”
“You had your reasons. You only wanted to protect your brothers,” I replied.
Latias descended towards a forest. He landed on a spot where the trees were apart from each other, and the moonlight shone brightly on the grass and the daisies on the ground.
“Are you not going to take me to your lair?” I asked.
Latias shook his head.
“Why?”
“Renisham said…,”
“That I am not the woman in the prophecy?” I put the words in his mouth. “I already defied the heavens. I committed a grave sin of trying to kill myself. I am no longer a priestess.”
Latias shifted to his human form. His beauty was magnificent. His skin glittered. He became a prism that dispersed the moonlight into beautiful pastel colors.
Strange and incomprehensible emotions filled my heart. A strong urge to touch and feel him grew inside me.
He felt the same towards me. I could see it in his eyes. The snowflakes in his pupils had turned into beautiful, diamond-like flowers. His lips turned redder as his smile grew wider.
No! I panicked when the flowers vanished slowly from his eyes. The tip of his wavy hair turned black.
“No, Latias. Stop. Please,” I begged.
Latias smile slowly faded. He gave me a bow of apology. When he raised his head again, the whole top of his hair had turned black. The flowers in his eyes diminished into thin snowflakes.
“Latias!” I called as I hugged him.
His body started to glow more. I looked at him. The snowflakes in his eyes had shifted back into flowers. His hair returned to its snowy-glass like color.
“I am the woman in the prophecy,” I told him. “I will become her.”
Latias looked at me. I could see it through his eyes. He wanted me to become that woman. Suddenly, he tried to push me away. I clung on to his waist tighter. He was so transparent. I could clearly see through his thoughts. He wanted me to be his woman, but he was afraid that it would also mean the death of me.