Songs of Fallen Stars

13

Elara

I cry myself to sleep, telling myself after tonight there will be no more tears. I get a somewhat restful sleep, knowing Rion is guarding me makes me feel better. I dress quickly in the morning, we have a big day ahead of us.

I meet Rion outside the tent, the camp is in full swing. Rion explained to me that half the men are staying here for us to return and the rest are flying across with us to the Siren Realm.

Rion is chatting with someone when I emerge from the tent. I wait awkwardly for him to finish. He walks over to me with a big grin on his face.

“I have something for you” He extends his hand, something wrapped in a cloth lay in it. I reach for it, unfolding the cloth and revealing a dagger. It is attached to a leather belt, it is beautifully crafted. Little carved vines and rubies adorn the hilt. I pick it up and unsheath it. The blade is sharp and smooth. There’s something engraved on it but it’s not a language I know.

“What does it say?”

“With my life” He says softly. I want to ask what that means but we are interrupted. Someone is calling Rion over. He takes the knife from me and hooks it around my hips, clipping it into place.

“It is not a toy. It is a weapon, one you should not have to use”, he says before he walks away. Leaving me looking after him, my hand rests on the knife, feeling each little groove with my fingertips. I watch from afar as Rion prepares for our journey. Eventually, he comes over to me.

“Are you ready?” He smiles at me, holding his hand out for me. I take it and he leads me to the side of a cliff. The wind picks up and ruffles the bottom of my dress, filling me with a breeze. I don’t like heights. I try to step back but Rion stands firmly behind me.

“Trust me” is all he says before he moves in front of me and dives off the cliff. I scream as he falls, he changes right before my eyes. A huge dragon hovers in front of me now, those same teal eyes stare at me, he makes a noise that I swear is a laugh before he ducks his head down and someone comes from behind me with what looks like a horse riding saddle. It gets placed at the base of Rion’s neck above his shoulders and I’m told to get on.

“Are you crazy?” I look at Rion in his new form. If I get on him I’m going to die, I will fall off and fall to my death. I know it.

“Lady Elara.. We must get going.. Night will be upon us before long… King Rion insisted you ride with him.. Please get on” The poor guy is just following orders but I want to punch him in the throat. He helps me off the cliff and onto Rion… I don’t know where to step. Will I hurt him if I step on his neck to climb on?

Rion gives a small nod of his head as I hesitantly step onto him. He feels scaly, but not in the way I’d expected. Once I’m seated on the saddle and securely holding on, the young man gives Rion a nod and he takes off.

I hear my scream echo through the mountains as he dives down and soars into the sky. I grip the saddle so hard my knuckles are white, the skin pulled tightly. I hold on with my thighs as we fly through the sky, my eyes are pinched shut. I try to relax as he flies at a smooth even speed, no longer diving up and down to try and excite me. All it did was terrify me, I screamed for nearly an hour. I think I may have disappointed him, it seemed like he was trying to impress me.

The wind is freezing cold, I can feel my body shaking, my teeth clatter together. It’s getting dark now, I wonder how far we will go today.

Will we stop for the night?

Get some rest and warm up or is he planning on going the entire way in one night?

Before I can think too much more about it, he is landing. We passed through a vast forest and into a clearing. I look back to see the mountains long behind us now. I am relieved as someone helps me unbuckle and I crawl off Rion, who within moments changes back into his human form. A huge s**t eating grin on his face as he looks at me. My legs give out from sitting awkwardly all day and I stumble forward. He catches me and scoops me up, carrying me over to a freshly made fire. I am thankful for the heat, I lean towards it as I rub my hands together.

“We rest until morning, then the final stretch is ahead” Rion announces. There’s only six of us so the camp is smaller than the other nights. The tent has been set up nonetheless, Rion leads me to it.

“Want me to tuck you in?” He asks as he opens the drape for me to enter.

“Good night Rion” I say as I enter.

My bath is waiting for me and I gladly go to it, undressing and sliding into the water. I keep my new dagger close by, just in case.

I nearly fall asleep in the bath, the water is always hot and so inviting. I am drowsy when I get out, pulling my robes on lazily as I crawl into bed. Sleep comes to me easily tonight, I think I tired myself out with the events of today.

I wake up to the sound of someone in my tent, I reach for my dagger but it’s not by my side. I left it by the tub earlier. Panic fills me for a moment before he speaks,

“Did you change your mind about that tuck?” I can hear the smile in his voice. The smug bastard scared the hell out of me.

“What are you doing?” I hiss in the dark.

“I got bored outside with the men. I thought I’d have more fun in here” He collapses on the end of the bed, making me bounce under his weight.

“Did you not enjoy flying today?” He asks, his voice sounds sad and disappointed.

“Are you drunk Rion?” I ask, I don’t need an answer, I can smell it on him.

“Do you really hate me that much?” He turns to me, waiting for me to answer.

“No Rion.. I don’t hate you. I thought you figured that out by now” I say as I pull the furs back and sit up, lighting the lamp to see him clearly.

“I can’t seem to figure you out. Every time I think I’ve got it, you throw me for a loop” He runs his hand through his hair.

“I’m scared of heights… it wasn’t you”

He looks at me blankly for a moment before he begins to howl. His laughter fills the tent, he is laughing alone. I do not find any of this amusing.

“Good night Rion” I say annoyed, I blow out the lamp and lay back down in the bed, pulling my furs up to my chin.

I feel his weight shift on the bed, suddenly he is on top of me. He looks down at me with those sad teal eyes, his hair dangles around us. He’s only a few inches away from my face, so I prepare myself. I stare back at him, waiting for him to do something, anything, but he closes his eyes and pushes off the bed and rolls onto the floor.

My heart is about to burst out of my chest.

What was he going to do?

Why did he roll away?

I try not to act disappointed as I turn over and go to sleep.