Autumn 4995, date unknown...

The wind roared, the trees groaning in protest outside. Her caretaker's running feet could barely be heard through the din from beyond the door. They would've had to jump to see out the window set high in the wall, just above the ground outside Her basement room, but She was tall enough that She only needed to stand on Her toes to get a good look.

Sticks and stones blew past Her, the wind rushing between the bars to rustle Her copper hair. She grasped the steel as carefully as She could and arched Her neck to try and see the sky. The treetops seemed to be fighting each other, crashing into one another in the great gusts. And beyond them... a black sky like boiling tar...

A flash of green lightning as vibrant as Her scales arched across the sky, startling Her away from the window. She fell back, and with Her came the bars. With a curse, She struggled to put them back and had just managed it in time to spin, hands behind Her back, as Her door's lock clicked.

The caretaker that entered did so without looking at Her. He shouted over his shoulder in that other language they sometimes used when they didn't know She was listening, "Holen Sie diese Themen in den Keller. Ja alle. Wir können das durchstehen." He turned to Her, and She did Her best not to look guilty.

She'd spent years working on Her escape. They always said that wind was impulsive. But She'd proved it could be patient, using what limited power they let Her have and some simple sand to slowly erode the stone that held Her bars in place.

Her wrists itched below Her copper bracelets. Damn this strange storm for putting everything at risk. If they found out what She'd been doing, they would put the other manacles back on. The ones with emeralds embedded in the copper that blocked Her magic completely.

He addressed Her in draconic, "Come away from the window, Windwyrm. It's a magical storm, but we should be able to weather it."

She eyed the storm outside but stepped away as instructed. Behind him, a mix of teenagers and elderly strangers in ragged clothing and various glittering manacles were being led to other rooms deeper in the basement. They called out desperately what sounded like questions. How many times had She begged Her caretakers to teach Her that language? She hadn't even known it existed until they'd started bringing in people from outside.

But her caretakers were as stubborn about not 'tainting' Her with the new language as they were that She 'discover' Her own name. While simultaneously claiming none She tried were 'dragon enough.'

"A magical storm?" She asked.

"Yes, yes. Exactly the kind of thing we're trying to stop," he answered. She held Her breath as he looked around Her room. Had She put the bars back correctly? Had he noticed? She dared not turn and draw his attention. But then he nodded, "You should be fine in here. I'll come back once it's past."

She let out Her breath as he left, locking Her in again, and turned back to the window and the howling storm beyond. The wind always seemed to be whispering to Her, but today it screamed. Calling Her by a name She didn't have.

It was time. She wouldn't get a better chance.

Carefully, one at a time, She removed the bars while the storm continued to roll. The lightning came faster and washed Her room in alien colors. Red, purple, and blue.

Her copper hair, cut short the last time they took samples, whipped about Her face, stinging Her eyes. It saved Her life.

She stepped back to try and brush the damn strands out of the way. As She did, the tower shook with a deafening crash that knocked Her to the ground. Her room went dark, except for the thin sliver of light seeping beneath the door.

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She screamed, too distressed to care if anyone heard. "NO! No, no, no!" She clawed Her way to Her feet and tried to return to the window, only to hit the branches and leaves of the tree that had fallen over the opening.

"No..." She wailed, summoning Her power and making Her wrists burn as She tried to push the tree away, but only blew Her blankets off Her bed.

"No..." She sobbed, pushing harder with muscle and wind until Her head spun and vision wavered.

"No..." She slid down the wall, the branches scratching across Her skin and scales, "Not now... please..."

The tree moved.

She scrambled back as the wood groaned and shifted, pulling away, out of Her window. Light returned in a strobe bright enough that She had to shield Her eyes.

Squinting between Her fingers, She saw something fly into Her room. Was it just the lightning that made it look so colorful, or was it really that iridescent? A snake with feathery wings like a bird circled Her head once, twice, then disappeared out the window again.

Using Her bedpost for support, She pulled Herself to Her feet and stumbled towards the window. She could worry about flying snakes later, but there was someone crouching outside Her window...

The woman had skin so beautifully dark it nearly matched the stormy sky and vibrantly purple eyes. The snake wound itself around her neck, its wings spread like a halo to either side of her face. The wind seem to caress her...

The stranger held her hand out, reaching down to Her. "Endlich habe ich dich gefunden. Komm mit mir."

"I don't understand..." She said.

The woman spat what sounded like a curse -She could understand the sentiment even if She didn't know the words- and reached through to grab Her by the wrist, pulling hard. She flinched, Her hands and arms sore from the constricting bracelets that had tightened and dampened Her magic.

A wind She didn't summon seemed to scoop Her up from the ground and helped the stranger pull Her from the tower. The storm outside was even more violent than She'd realized, blowing entire boulders and downed ancient trees all around them. And yet around the woman, the air was mostly still.

"Bist du ein Zauberer? Ja?" the woman shouted, her words slow but just as incomprehensible.

"I don't understand." She repeated desperately, pulling at the bracelets still dulling Her magic. She had no way of defending Herself, though strangely, She didn't feel like She would need to.

The woman cursed again.

"Windwyrm?!" The voice came from the tower door loudly enough to carry through the cacophony of the storm. Another of Her caretakers, the kindest of them, stood in the door, his robes whipping about him as he shielded his face from the wind with his arms. It was his downfall.

The woman's snake flew like an arrow through the sky, wrapping around the man's neck and hissing in his face. He pulled on the scales, but it constricted around his neck until he fell to his knees, his face turning red, then purple. The woman grabbed Her by the wrist again and pulled Her towards the downed man.

The snake flapped its wings, pulling him up, and the woman made a sweeping gesture from him to them, causing another gust of wind to push him towards them, "Lass sie frei." Whatever she'd said, it sounded like an order.

The caretaker shook his head, but the woman just jerked Her wrist forward, presenting him with Her bracelet. "Jetzt"

He met the woman's eyes and choked, "Chosen..." The snake loosened its hold just a fraction, and he coughed, looking at Her and finally managing... "Windwyrm..."

The storm raged around them, but here, in this protective bubble created by the woman's magic, the air was still. Could She do this? If She had Her full power... If She was free?

"Please..." She whispered, leaning over him. She was a full head taller than both these people, and yet... "I want to be free... please..." She held his eyes, pleading with him. Finally, he nodded.

He reached out a shaking hand, and She could feel the magic wash through Her as he muttered a strangled spell. Her bracelets fell free. And the snake struck.

He spasmed as the snake's fangs pierced his shoulder. It shook its head cruelly, tightening its constriction around his neck so he couldn't scream. She did it for him. She lunged for the snake, but it was too late. It unraveled, returning to the woman as Her kindly caretaker collapsed.

"No! What have you done?! What..." But the woman didn't understand.

The woman shook her head and grabbed Her by the arm, pulling Her away from the tower. From Her prison, and the only home She'd ever known. Into the storm and a world that She didn't understand.