by Sarah Hite
Shock
A few days after Elder’s arrival, he was sitting in the court yard watching Akina. She was not far away, and was playing with a pile of stones. As he watched her, he realized that she was actually working on the same project Sayden had been during their council meeting. He knew that Pai must have designed lessons for her. He looked around the courtyard for Torak. He had not yet met the boy, and had only seen him once. He had been with Layon for the last several days. One of his wounds had grown worse and needed constant care, so the boy had been moved closer to the Dragon Guard’s residence. He was not alone; Queen Alani was also staying close to the Dragon Guard.
He looked toward the palace gates and noticed Kym coming in with him. He was shaking his head at something she had said. He stood, and walked over to them. As he joined them, Torak stepped back, clearly unnerved by the large Mountain dragon. “It’s okay Torak. You don’t have to be afraid,” Kym told him.
The boy stared at Elder. “Who says I’m afraid?”
She smiled and positioned her head to be next to him. “Okay, you don’t have to be nervous then,” she teased. He looked up at her but said nothing.
Elder smiled. He could clearly see Kyeon in the boy. He not only looked like his father, he acted like him. “I don’t believe we have met, I’m Elder. I work with your father,” he said as he lowered his head to look at the boy. Torak nodded again and was instructed to see what Akina was doing. He looked over at her pile of stones and sighed. After being told a few more times, he finally joined her. “Torak doesn’t like to learn,” Kym commented as she watched him knock his sister’s project over. He leapt away as she struck out at him, clearly angry.
“That doesn’t surprise me. Kyeon never like Teachings either.” Elder looked down at the queen next to him and studied her. It was easy to see that her condition was fading. She had gained more weight, and seemed unusually tired. “Would you like to lay down?” She nodded and followed him back to the Guest House.
As they neared the building, several men stopped working on a structure next door to the dragons’ quarters and acknowledged them. They passed the building before Elder asked what it was going to be. Kym stopped and watched the construction for a moment. “It will be an addition to the Guest House.”
“An addition? Why?” he asked following her gaze. She did not answer him. Instead, he heard a sound more like a whimper. He looked down at the queen to find her standing ridged. Her breathing was strained, as if she were in pain. “Kym? What’s wrong?” he asked alarmed. She still did not answer; she was too busy fighting off the pain that had suddenly spread throughout her belly. It radiated across her back and through her legs. It was not a contraction, but it was not normal pain. The illness she had survived made carrying a clutch painful; this was not the first time this had happened, but it was worse than before.
The pain slowly began to fade, but it left her weak. She swayed, and stumbled. Concerned, Elder steadied her and helped her back to the Guest House. He could tell something was wrong, but waited to ask her about it. The children met them at the door; they had seen her stop, and having seen this before, Akina knew she would need help. Kym slowly laid down in a corner and looked up at her children. “T… Torak? Could you…” she switched to mental speech to finish the question. Could you get Layon for me? The boy nodded and ran off.
Akina approached them slowly and nuzzled the queen’s cheek. “Can I get you anything?”
Kym shook her head. Not at the moment. Just keep your brother busy for a while. She nodded and left.
Elder watched them silently, but after Akina had left he spoke. “Kym, what’s going on? I know you, I know when something’s wrong.”
“Did Kyeon get my request?” she asked not looking up.
The old dragon laid down next to her. “He did. Chekal came to the Keep asking to see him. He said you wanted to talk to him. Kyeon had called an assembly and had to stay for it. It was not something he could leave in the middle of.” He studied her for a minute; she was still trying to calm her breathing. “Was it because of what’s going on that you wanted to talk to him?”
She nodded. The pain she felt was dwindling, but it would be a while before she would be up and around again. “When do you think he will be here?” she asked. The tone she used suggested fear and uncertainty.
He looked down at her and gently said, “When the assembly is over. What is this about?” He knew she was scared and did not want to push her. She looked up at him, her eyes revealing a level of fear and pain he had only seen in her once before. His mind flashed back to the time of illness, when she had nearly died. He looked down at her; fear spread through him as he realized the truth. “How long?”
She shook her head. “We aren’t sure. At the time it was discovered, Pai thought I was about halfway through, but that was over two months ago. I… I can’t… what if I’m not strong enough for this?”
Elder knew what could happen, and he knew she was scared. “Would you like me tell him about it, and the children?”
“No, I need to tell him myself, but you can tell him about the children. Kei-ata should know though. He will want to make preparations in case…
Elder sighed and wrapped his wing around her. “Shh. It will be alright. Why don’t you rest? I’ll leave for the Keep in the morning.”
She nodded and looked up as Akina entered the structure with a small deer. She set it down in front of her mother, who looked very tired. “Akina, can you do me a favor?”
“Yes?” the little dragon answered somewhat uncertainly.
“Can you tell Elder your story, about how you and Torak grew up?” The little dragon nodded and watched as the queen slowly fell asleep.
“Come, let’s talk outside and let her rest.” He led the child out the door. She looked back at Kym as they left the building. “Is she going to be alright?”
Elder looked behind him at the child. “She should be, but it will be awhile.”
Akina looked up at him, not convinced. He reassured her and led her over to where her brother had just re-entered the court yard with Layon. Elder told the young man that Kym had fallen asleep, but he should be there when she woke. He nodded and left them to join her. Elder took the children aside and asked them to tell him the story Kym had requested. Akina told him about the lake, and surrounding area.
Torak waited until she was done to bring up the hatching. “When I hatched, I was on the beach, next to the water. I thought I was alone. I explored the area for a while, but got tired so I went back to my egg. I wanted to take a nap, but the water stopped me. There were bubbles that weren’t there before. I stuck my head under the water to see what they came from. I found another egg on the bottom, it was shaking and slipped further away from shore. When it cracked… He looked over at Akina. She lowered her head somewhat timidly. He looked back at Elder and said. “I guess I knew she wouldn’t be able to get out on her own. I went in after her.”
“He pulled me out of the water. I couldn’t breathe; it was hard to move,” Akina added quietly. Elder looked at the children. The bond they shared, was not just from being siblings. It came from having shared each other’s trials, and from fighting for their existence together. He had saved her life, and she respected him for it.
The children continued their story. They told him about fighting off predators for their food and survival. He learned that Torak would often take on wolf packs to protect his sister, which is where his name came from. Torak means protector in the dragons’ tongue; Akina means flower. It was obvious to him that they had given each other their names. He asked them about it, and he had been right. Akina called him protector, because he had always defended her. He thought of her as a delicate flower. She was thin, lean, and her timid movements suggested a level of delicateness, as if she would break if pushed. Torak also added, mentally so Akina could not hear him, that he thought she was pretty. Elder had to agree, the names fit.
He studied them for a few minutes and an idea came to him,
one he thought Kym might agree to. He asked if they were hungry, and distracted them with the idea of food while he went to check on the queen. It had been awhile, so she was awake and talking to Layon. He could tell she was not doing very well. She looked up at him when he entered. “How…how are the children?” she asked weakly.
“They’re alright, but Akina is worried about you.” She nodded, knowing the child was concerned. “If it’s alright with you, I would like to take Torak with me tomorrow. I know you don’t have the energy to look after him, and Akina will be with you most of the time. I think it would be good for him to be with their father. He can come back with Kyeon when he leaves.” Kym looked up at him and knew he was right. She lacked the energy to keep him in line, and Akina was more concerned about her health to argue with her brother. She consented but wanted to speak to him first.
Elder went to tell the boy that she wanted to see him, and stayed with Akina while Torak spoke with her. “Are you alright?” the boy asked, coming in.
She could see he was as worried as Akina, but was not willing to show it. “Torak…there’s something I would like you to do.”
“What is it?” he asked, alarmed by how weak she sounded.
“Tomorrow, I want you to go with Elder. He will take you to your father. It will be much different than here. Living with other dragons will be hard… for you at first, but I think you can do it.”
“You’re sending me away?” he asked surprised.
“Torak…I need you to help your father. He needs the…support of his family right now. I think you can give him that. Just be respectful, and you’ll be fine. It’ll only be for a few days…just until he comes to see me.”
“Okay, Mother.” He still sounded unhappy.
“Hey, do me one more favor?” He looked at her and nodded. “Don’t tell him about what’s wrong with me. I need to tell him myself.” Seeing that he was still unhappy, she added, “You can tell him about Akina though. I know he will want to know as much about her as he can.” Torak nodded. She adjusted her position to embrace the youngster and sent him back to his dinner.
A few days later, Torak found himself looking at the vast Crishon Mountain range. It had been a long flight, and he was getting tired. Elder turned his head to look at him. He could tell the boy’s strength was waning. “We’re almost there, just a few more minutes and we’ll be landing.” Torak only nodded. He was glad they would be landing soon; he was growing exited.
A few minutes later, Elder called out to the guard. He acknowledged them and halted others from leaving so they could land safely. Elder landed first, then led Torak inside. As they passed the entrance, Torak looked around the giant cavern. It made him feel very small. He stayed close to Elder, trying not to get lost. After several minutes of walking down corridors, Elder was stopped by a small female dragon. While they spoke, Torak noticed a group of children, most were a little younger than he was; one was about Shaelynn’s age. They were teasing the hatchling, and were pushing him around.
Torak’s eyes narrowed. “Leave him alone,” he commanded. They stopped pushing the hatchling and glared at him. The distraction was enough to allow the child to escape the older boys and hide behind him.
“Why should we?” one of them asked; a young Fire dragon. The others agreed. “We weren’t hurting him,” another said.
“There are more ways to hurt someone than just physically,” Torak answered. “Do I have to ask you again?”
The young Fire dragon, who was almost three feet larger than Torak, looked him over. He saw the scars and assumed that he had been challenged before, and lost. He thought it would be an easy fight. “I’ll leave him alone, if you make me.”
“Was that a challenge?” Torak asked surprised. Upon hearing this, Elder stopped his conversation in order to watch the boy’s reaction.
The other boy scoffed, “What if it was? What are you going to do about it?”
Elder smiled at his answer. “Fighting won’t solve this problem. Besides, my parents wouldn’t like it.” Torak turned away and started to usher the hatchling away from them.
The boy stared at him in disbelief; his disbelief turned to anger. “Coward!” he yelled. Torak stopped and looked back at the youth for a moment, but turned back to the little one in front of him. The child’s mother had arrived in time to see the Torak come to her son’s aid. He watched as the little one ran to her. She was about to thank him when he went down; the young Fire dragon had tackled him. Torak kicked him off with controlled anger, and easily tackled the boy back. He held him down and said, “I will not fight you, and you can’t make me.”
Guards had been called to stop the fight, but Elder told them not to interfere. He wanted to see how Torak would react. He smiled as the youth added, “Do you believe me now. I didn’t physically hurt you, but you will never forget this, will you?” He released the younger boy and turned back to Elder.
“Nicely handled Torak. Well done,” the elder said as he joined him. The female had left, but another dragon sat with him now. “Where did you learn to fight like that?” he asked. This small breed, he was not sure which kind, was only half as tall as Elder. When Torak did not answer, he smiled. “I get it, it’s a secret.” He changed the topic and asked Elder if he was going to the council meeting. Elder asked when it was and hearing that it would begin in a few minutes he agreed, and invited the other dragon to join them.
The three of them entered the council chamber, and Elder told Torak to stay by the entrance until he was called. Torak nodded and watched the two older dragons enter a secondary chamber. He heard someone say, “Elder, I wasn’t expecting you today.”
Elder looked at the king. “I arrived just in time for the meeting.”
“We haven’t begun yet. We were discussing a story flying around the Keep. Lang, what brings you here?”
“Elder invited me.” The king nodded and the warrior joined his father.
Seoung spoke up. “Well, apparently there’s a youth who doesn’t like to answer challenges. According to the story, he was challenged and backed down. The kid who challenged him wasn’t going to let him walk away.”
Elder nodded and stopped him, “I already know what happened, we were there.” The council was surprised. “You were? Who was it?” Seoung asked.
“His name is Torak. Kym found him and his sister in southern Altera. They are one of the reasons I’m here.”
“How so?” Kyeon asked. He was curious.
“I will tell you in a minute, first you should know that Queen Alani of the Southern Kingdom is safe. She was found on a beach not far from Sheadod. She was wounded but is doing fine.”
“That’s a relief,” Seoung said. “She’s staying with Kym then?” Elder nodded. “She will stay in Sheadod until she is strong enough to return home.”
Kyeon nodded. He was still curious about the boy and brought it back up. Elder only smiled. “When Kym sent the message, saying that they were alive, none of us knew what she was talking about. I found out what she meant while in Sheadod.”
“What did she mean?” Kyeon asked, a little apprehensively.
Elder looked at Kyeon and a smile spread across his face. He put a forepaw on the king’s shoulder. “The two eggs, that were lost in the flood, they survived.”
Kyeon stepped back. “What?” He did not know how to respond.
“How? I was there, I saw what the waters did to the one, what it did to the queen. How could they have survived?” Lang asked. The rest of the council remained silent.
“I think he should answer that question. Torak, you can come in now.” Torak entered the chamber slowly. He was both excited and nervous. He looked up at Elder as he joined him. “Allow me to introduce the Royal Council.” He began with the Forest dragons. “This is Lyong Ryou, and his sons Lang and Kwan. Kwan is Shaelynn’s father.” Torak nodded and he continued, motioning to the shaman. “This is Kei-ata Lorbrein, the shaman of the Keep.” He turned to the royal family. “This is Prince Seoung, and the king,
Kyeon Mangjul. Their sister, Shaelynn’s mother, is the Clutch Guard for the Nesting Caverns.”
Torak looked up at the king. “Your Majesty,” he said in greeting. Kyeon did not answer. He was too shocked to speak. Seoung looked up at his brother and smiled. “Nice job Elder; he’s speechless. This is only the second time in our lives that I’ve seen him like this.” The prince chuckled; he was having fun at his brother’s expense.
“Is he alright?” Torak asked.
“He’s fine, he’s just in shock. After what happened with the flood, he thought you were dead.” Seoung shoved his brother, hard. “Snap out of it. The kid’s talking to you.”
Kyeon shook his head and looked down at the young dragon before him. Everyone in the council chamber could see the resemblance to the king, including Kyeon. “How did you survive?” Torak looked up at Elder, who nodded in support. He told them the same story they had told Elder several days ago, but added a few other details. The council exchanged glances, their story was a shocking one. Akina had hatched under water, and had nearly drowned; since then, he had fought to keep her alive. Lang now understood that the boy’s fighting ability had come from fighting off bears and wolves in order to protect his sister, who seemed to be a prime choice for predators. She was smarter than he was, but because of the way her egg had cured under water, her bone structure was fragile. She probably would not survive being attacked by a grizzly or large wolf pack.
When the story was over, the council praised the boy on their survival skills. They asked a few more questions, mostly about Akina. Kyeon noticed he seemed tired and halted the questions. “Why don’t we talk about this later?”
Torak looked up at him and nodded. “It was a long trip.” Kyeon led him back out of the room and down to his chambers.
After they had gone, Seoung asked about Kym. He had refrained from asking while Kyeon was there. He did not want to worry the king. When Elder did not respond right away, Seoung acquired the impression that something was wrong. He asked again, and this time Elder merely said that she needed to speak to Kyeon as soon as possible. He suggested they talk later; he was sure that Kyeon would not be back; he would be too busy talking with Torak. The council decided to follow his advice and soon left. Seoung asked Kwan if he wanted to go with him to tell Moon the news.