Her Heart or His Desire

Surfacing Memories

(Keegan P.O.V)

Last week I experienced one of the most grueling headaches of my life, at least of the life that I currently have memories of. Add some hot and cold flashes from a fever and you have some interesting dreams. At first I thought they might have been some memories trying to resurface, the faces I was seeing were familiar and I longed to be embraced by them but when I looked at the person carrying me away from the chaos that had surrounded us it was a tall hairy beast.

I didn't fear... him? It? Instead I was angry at it because I knew it was trying to protect me instead of letting me help my family fight for their survival. What difference a young boy could make was beyond me but I still wanted to try.

Other dreams included me free falling through the sky and a set of cloudy blue gray eyes, much like my own, watching me as I tried to figure out how not to die from the impact of my fall. Each time I wake up from these dreams it feels like those eyes are still watching me, waiting for me to do something but I haven't figured what that something is.

"Keegan?" I heard a whisper coming from under my door and smiled.

"Yes Mandy?" I asked just as she flung the door open. It wasn't even seven yet and she was already a bundle of energy.

"Nana says she needs to see you," she whispered.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," I said, grabbing a sweater and jeans.

"Okay."

"Mandy, that means I need you to leave so I can get dressed sweetie," I said, when she didn't leave right away.

She grinned and mouthed okay and finally left. It wasn't going to take long to get dressed but I enjoyed the quiet in the morning while I watched the sun rise over the snowy peaks of the mountain behind us. it seemed to call to me more and more each day and as soon as I was strong enough I was going to climb it and figure out why I was so drawn to it.

Once I was dressed I reluctantly walked to Nana's room.

As the matriarch of the family she was old and seemingly frail but for some reason she made me nervous. Her gaze always seemed to penetrate right through me and it gave me the willies. I came up to her room and gently knocked as I poked my head into the open room. Mandy was playing on the floor with one of her dolls while Nana was standing at her window, watching the last rays of the sun pouring over the mountain peaks.

"You asked for me ma'am?" I cleared my throat and quietly asked.

"You don't need to be afraid of me, young man. Come and sit," she gestured to a chair near her armoire.

I sat at the end of the chair and waited for her.

"What has my son told you about your family? Have you remembered anything yet?" she asked, turning around to face me.

"He said we were all in an accident and I was the only survivor. He said I was in a coma since I was a small boy and was surprised that I woke up. As for remembering anything, I don't think so. The dreams I keep having are still foggy, the people feel familiar but I haven't been able to remember anything solid."

"We'll he didn't lie but he also didn't tell you much of the truth either," she sighed, "It was a rather big surprise that you've woken up now but I think that's because there's a cosmic shift in power that's trying to tip the balance between good and evil. You have been asleep much longer than you think you have," she said, handing me a black and white photo, "That is a picture of me as a young girl no older than Mandy is, with you as you are now."

I slumped further into the chair feeling lightheaded all of a sudden, "What does this mean?" I whispered.

She handed me a few more photos, "The oldest one is a hand drawing of my 7x great grandfather with you as a young boy. A drawing or photo would be taken with the person who was head of household that would become your caretaker. These were taken as proof of your age and legacy for the day you finally woke up."

"But this means..."

"That you, Sir Keegan, are well over 700 years old and not human."

"Not human?" I was just hit with the fact that I was ancient and now she was also saying I wasn't even human? "What the hell am I then, if not human?"

"A dragon," she said matter-of-fact, "A silver dragon to be exact," she came and sat across from me on her bed, "From what has been passed down you come from a very long line of Noble Elder dragons. Your family was considered one of the more powerful bloodlines and because of this they became comfortable with their status at the top. During a time of negotiated peace they were lulled into a false sense of security and were attacked by a lone red dragon."

Flashes of memory started to break through the cracks of a wall that I had felt starting to crumble. The more Nana told me the more vivid these flashes became.

"The journal that was handed down from one generation to another holds most of the answers that you seek."

"Why was I in a coma? Did something happen that caused me to be in that state? And my family... why was your family charged with caring for me and not them?"

"Your bloodline is either extinct with you being its sole survivor or endangered and whoever is left is in hiding. As far as I know... you are the last and the coma you were in wasn't a natural one. It was a magically induced coma placed by a powerful as a dying wish from your parents if anything were to happen to them. The witch, of course, has long since passed but it was placed there to keep from seeking out this red dragon. As a youngling you were nowhere near powerful enough to challenge another dragon, a red dragon at that. But now that you are a full grown adult and awake, it seems that if the spell has broken that maybe you are now stronger and mature enough to confront your enemy."

I felt my chest rumble with rage as the visions I had kept seeing finally became clear. I heard Mandy gasp in fear and hide behind her Nana for protection.

"You don't have to be afraid of me Mandy," I calmly said to her, "I was just thinking about the bad guy that hurt my family."

"This is the journal that was passed down to each of us. There's a letter from your parents and several journal entries from each Damond head of household. It's nothing too exciting just your condition, how you've grown during certain years, the changes in culture and technology but it's yours now," she said, gently handing me an old weathered journal.

I carefully took and just stared, like it was the most fragile and valuable thing in the world and to me, at this moment in time, it was.

"When you decide to finally head up the mountain please be sure to say goodbye," she said with a saddened smile.

"The mountain?"

"It's where your family's home is. It's why you keep longing for the mountain. You've been wanting to go home without realizing it."

I turned and looked out of her window and at the mountain side, "It's home..." I whispered, "Is it okay? To leave, that is?"

Nana smiled, "We'll be fine and you will always be welcomed back any time you want, you're family after all."

That night I had decided I was strong enough to climb the mountain. I made the announcement before dinner and let everyone know I would be leaving before first light tomorrow. We said our goodbyes that night, the hardest one being with poor little Mandy, who made it seem like I was abandoning them all. She pulled on every heart string she could till she finally gave me her blessing to leave.

As I slept, memories that had been so fuzzy and shrouded in fog were finally clear as day. The memories that surfaced were filled with the love my parents had for me and our clan, hatred fueled by the need to avenge their deaths. Before the first rays of sun danced across my eyelids, a white, silver and blue dragon's face appeared, my dragon's face and he had finally awoken. For the first time in weeks since I had awoken from my coma I felt whole.

(Minka P.O.V.)

It felt like we were walking in the snow for ages and I was grateful we didn't feel the cold or hunger for that matter.

"I think we're here," Astra said, picking up the pace as she disappeared over the mountain peak.

"Thank the goddess," I said huffing and puffing.

When I reached the top I saw Astra heading into a well hidden opening to a cave. When I caught up to her I nearly bumped into her when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What the hell. A little warning next time wou-" I said stopping mid sentence once I saw what she was staring at.

Bright crystal blue eyes suddenly open as this dragon slowly starts to sit up.

"I will be seeing you soon my little snow bunny," it said as it blew a chilly white smoke towards us.

"Wait, what? But who the hell are you!" I said as loud as I could, waking up to hands grasping my thrashing body.

"Minka, calm down, it's mom, dad and Deianira."

I let my eyes focus, fighting through the haze I was still in. "What- Where am I?" I asked thoroughly confused now.

"Minka your home, safe in bed. You've been asleep recovering from the magic you depleted for over a week now."