This is a lot. First I’m one of the only two that has multi colored eggs, now I know that someone has plans to kill the queen! This is too much.
“Hello? Are you there, Willow?” Grey said, waving his arms in Willow’s face in an exaggerated motion.
“Yes! Um, why me? Why are you telling me?” Willow asked, her hands on her hips.
“Oh. Uh.” Grey stammered, as if he hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t know. I mean, you are my closest friend so I felt that I should tell you.”
Willow’s heart swelled at the words closest friend.
“What should we do about it?” She asked.
“Maybe… tell the Queen so she can be on her guard?”
“Good idea. Let’s do it like… tomorrow. At 12 hourglasses- in the morning, not at night.”
“Um okay.”
The next day, Willow felt like she needed something to hold onto. But of course, there was nothing of the kind. Her dragon wouldn’t work, no, neither would her pillow.
Willow wanted to strangle something when she met up with Grey. She couldn’t explain why she was nervous, but she was. Today was the weekend, so they didn’t have school.
“Ready?” Grey asked.
Willow swallowed nervously. “As ready as I will ever be.”
“Fair enough.” He reached his hand out, snatching her hand before she could resist.
Willow cocked her head at him. His face turned tomato red. Willow smiled slightly, giving his hand a quick squeeze before they set off to the castle.
Grey seemed very, very, very, nervous; he kept fidgeting with the hand she wasn’t holding, clenching and unclenching his fist.
“Why are you so nervous?” Willow asked, “I am not nervous…” She trailed off, not realizing that her mouth got ahead of her brain. She was nervous - more than she wanted to admit.
“Um- oh- uh- ugh-” Grey stammered, caught off guard. “Well- it’s the Queen, for crying out loud! How are you not nervous…?”
“Well… I am nervous. And have you.” Willow said, swinging their hands, “and we are helping the Queen, I mean, it’s not like we are the ones killing her.”
Grey turned pale. He muttered something incomprehensible.
“Something is wrong, isn’t there. You just turned as pale as a… cloud.”
Slight color returned to his face, just a dab of pink. “Sorry, I’m just scared.” He started to run, leaving Willow behind.
“Uh- Hey!” Willow called, barely able to keep up with his small headstart.
They reached the palace, and took the breath away, though it could have been her running.
They paused, regaining their breath before they knocked.
“Who is it?” The same voice boomed overhead from the last time she came.
“Willow and Grey, and we really need to see the Queen.” Willow responded.
“You again. Is your need actually desperate, or are you just going to say never mind again?” The voice responded, sounding bored.
“It is! We want to tell her ourselves! We promise!” Willow called up.
“Okay, fine. But no funny business!”
“Thank you!”
The massive gates slowly opened, making a loud creak sound. Willow and Grey entered, Grey looking somewhat normal, less pale at least. Willow racked her brain for the way to the throne room, but Grey seemed to know the way.
They arrived at the throne room. Willow and Grey alternated explaining what happened, which didn’t take very long. The Queen slowly nodded as they spoke, and when they were done, she queried them about how they knew it.
Willow glanced at Grey, her head cocked to the side. She realized she was also waiting for the answer.
“Um- I heard someone gossiping about it?” He said, posing it as a question, most likely by accident.
The Queen nodded. “Do either of you have anything to say that could help? Besides what you have already told me?”
“Um- yes. But uh- can I tell you it alone? I mean completely alone.”
The Queen nodded. “Yes. Everyone, leave!”
Willow and her advisor, Lincon, left the room along with all her guards, the guards moved hesitantly, though. Willow peeked through the crack in the door next to the hinges.
“What is it?” The Queen asked Grey.
“I am so sorry.” Grey whispered, barely audible, raising a knife.
“NO!” Willow screamed, running in waving her arms around her head like a madman. Grey froze, dropping the knife, thinly cutting the Queen’s nose.
Everyone started screaming, the guards raced in, taking Grey away. Willow cried, though she tried to hold them in. Her closest friend was being ripped away from her, because he was a TRAITOR.
He tried to kill The Queen. WHY? Pulsed through Willow’s head until it took over. She ran out of the room. She ran to the stables, grabbed Sky, and cuddled her closely.
Sky looked at Willow curiously, cocking her tiny head.
“I’m sorry. It’s been a rough day.”
The next day of school, everyone had heard the news. Willow wondered why. Probably someone else. Maybe it was Lily. WAIT. LILY. Willow thought, pausing. I haven’t asked Ebony how she dealt with Lily - if she has, yet.
“She was there.”
“I wonder what happened?.”
“I heard her ‘boyfriend’ was taken away to the dungeon!” Willow heard a slightly familiar voice call through the hall.
Roxie.
“He is NOT my boyfriend! Just my friend… or was.” Willow said, feeling herself blush.
Willow rushed into her class, too embarrassed to say anything else.
Balance class at this time of the year was the most slow. They had to ride a real dragon, starting slow then increasing in speed as the time went on. When they were done, it took five minutes for each person to go from slow to fast to slow.
Only 5 people had let their dragons do it, and there were approximately twenty kids in her class, so the whole process took about twenty minutes per line! Willow was at the back of the third of the four lines, so she had to wait forever to get on the back of a dragon. It felt comfortable and natural for her to be on the back of a dragon.
The rest of the class was explaining common mistakes they made, how to fix them, and pointers on centering your balance.
Ms. D could probably go on for hours about this, Willow realized when Ms. D noticed a student's face peering into the classroom and knocking, growing quite loud.
At Willow’s next class, care, they learned more in depth the specifics of caring for your dragon, then told them to read the books on their specific species and coloring.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
There were no books on multicolored dragons, and she went over to the teacher to tell him about it, when she noticed Masey was doing the same thing.
“Why are there no books on multicolored dragons?” Willow asked, beating Masey to it.
The teacher, Sir Mack, looked very surprised. “Well, we have never had a student - let alone two - have a multicolored dragon! But I do know where I can find a book or two.”
“Thank you.” Willow and Masey said at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise.
“No problem. I’ll go ask someone to watch you guys while I go grab it.” With that, he walked off.
“Why do you think he needs to leave?” Willow asked.
“Like he said, he doesn’t have any books on it here, and he is the only professor with books on dragon care.” Masey responded.
“Okay… so why do you really think we have multicolored dragons? And do not say ‘because we are so awesome,’ again.”
“Okay. Jokes aside,” Masey started, looking at Willow straight in the eyes, “they think we have the potential to save Ajula from the devil.”
Willow stared at Masey for a second, raising her eyebrow. “Really?” Willow said incredulously.
“Yep.”
Willow decided to slightly believe her. She had stuck with her lie for a while.
A tall, lanky woman entered the classroom. “Hello class. I will take over in the few moments that Sir Mack is gone.”
The students all nodded and continued their work.
“What about you two? Why don’t you have a book?”
“We are the reason Sir Mack isn’t here. He doesn’t have a book in the classroom about our kind of dragon.” Masey replied without any hesitance.
“What would that kind of dragon be, exactly?”
“We… we do not know. It has multiple colors - mine is white and dark blue, and Willow’s is pale yellow and light blue!” Masey replied.
“Interesting. I might, perhaps, know what kind of dragon you both have, but I don’t know for sure.”
“What?” Willow and Masey asked at the same time.
“Either a memory dragon, which can erase or input memories, or a sky dragon, which is an exceptional flier.”
Willow smiled slightly. “It would be funny if mine was a sky dragon because her name is Sky.”
The adult raised her eyebrow. “Nice. Sir Mack should be back soon. Nice talking to you, ladies.”
As if on cue, Sir Mack walked in. He was holding three books: The Memory Dragon, and Sky Dragons, Greatest Fliers!, and Memory Dragons and Sky Dragons, How to Tell the Difference.
“Here you go, girls.” He said, holding the books out to them.
Willow snatched Memory Dragons and Sky Dragons, How to Tell the Difference. Masey looked at her with pleading eyes.
“Okay, fine, we can share it.” Willow said with a sigh. They took the other two books and placed them on the ground. They sat down. The book wasn’t massive, but it couldn’t be considered small, either.
They flipped to the first page. ‘The main difference’ The subtitle read in big, bold letters.
The main difference between sky and memory dragons is the coloring - and the speed and balance of the flight.
Sky dragons usually have two light colors. At a very young age, you should not depend on coloration to discern them, as dragons shed their old colors.
Memory dragons usually have one light color and one dark. The same thing applies for the Memory dragon as it does for the Sky Dragon.
Ways to Tell Even if They are Young
A way to tell the difference is the way your dragon reacts to being outside. If they look happy or calm, they are a sky dragon. If they act the same indoors and outdoors, they are a memory dragon.
“That’s interesting.” Masey said once she had finished. “I think mine is a sky dragon, no idea about yours though, Willow.”
“Mine acts the same indoors and outdoors,” Willow replied, “so I think mine is a memory dragon.”
“Alright children! Put your books up and head to your next class!” Sir Mack called through the studious classroom.
“And you two,” he said in a quieter voice beckoning to them, “will give your books to me.” Willow and Masey complied and headed out the door.
At her next class, the teacher just sent them to the barn to train their dragons. You were supposed to teach them to fly and at least semi listen to you in two days.
Sky was mostly perfect at the latter, usually listening when Willow told her to.
But the former was the problem. Sky would barely move her wings when the other dragons were already learning to soar, the second step in learning how to fly. Willow tried to spread her wings, but they wouldn’t spread.
She asked the teacher, but he shook his head sadly. He had no idea. What was she to do? Sky seemed to be enjoying not flying, seeming perfectly content on the ground.
One dragon had mastered soaring and was almost flying already. He was white and dark blue, Masey’s dragon, when Willow realized she had not asked what her dragon’s name was.
Willow shook her head, returning to the task at hand. She tried once more to get Sky’s wing to spread, and Sky gave in. Her wings spread out, long and graceful.
The inside was pale blue, almost white, even. Willow flapped Sky’s wings for her, showing her what to do.
“Now do that.” Willow commanded.
Sky did, but it did nothing. She might have risen a little bit, but she didn’t do anything more than that.
“You know what? Just flap your wings naturally, please.” Willow told the stubborn dragon.
Sky reluctantly replied, rising a couple inches off the ground.
“Good girl! Now can you try to do that as high and as well as you can?” Willow asked.
Sky flapped higher. She started to awkwardly move forward.
Willow grabbed her, she was about chest height by then, so it was easy to snatch her. She gave Sky a quick cuddle, then faced her towards the slowly decreasing amount of soaring dragons.
“Can you do that, Sky?” Willow asked her. The little dragon barely tried. She probably soared for about two seconds before giving up. Willow inwardly screamed.
How was she going to get the stubborn dragon to work with her?
Willow took a deep breath and kept trying to get Sky to soar!
“Catch the wind in your wings.” Willow told her.
“Spread your wings out.”
“Soar.”
“PLEASE, SKY, JUST SOAR!” Willow exploded. Sky, scared from the outburst, took to the sky, flying way above Willow’s head. She can fly that high, but she was pitiful when I asked her to fly? Wow, Sky, wow.
“Sorry. It’s just... You won’t listen to me.” Willow told Sky. Sky soared down, and if dragons could speak, Sky would have probably apologized.
“Everyone! Next class!” The teacher called, beckoning for them to come inside.
They went to their next class where they had to be paired with someone of the teacher’s choice. Willow was with Lily. They finished the assignment and went to the last class of the day. Her least favorite class.
The class was Exercise. In the class you learn games to play on your dragon and on the ground, and WIllow wasn’t ever good at physical things.
The teacher was another problem. He was strict and could spend the whole class time teaching you how to play a game. (Which Willow was somewhat thankful for) They usually did it outside, and it was hot.
This time, they were learning how to play Dragonball. You fly around on your dragon, catching a ball. If you drop the ball or it gets intercepted, you lose a point. First person that loses all their points loses the game. She thankfully took the whole class time to explain.
They went to the dorms and Willow’s dormmates beat her home so she couldn’t talk to Ebony. Willow didn’t know how to get them to leave so they wouldn’t see her talk to Ebony, so she just took a nap, hoping they would be in their rooms or something.
When Willow woke up, it was two hourglasses. Everyone was in their rooms, so Willow entered Ebony’s room- after knocking of course.
“What do you want?” Ebony asked, somewhat annoyed.
“I was just wondering what you were going to do about Lily.” Willow replied, not backing down.
“I’m going to ignore her and focus on more important things.”
“Oh. Well, see you later?”
“Maybe.”
Willow left the room and thought over things. Her eyes glazed slightly when she remembered how Grey held the knife over the Queen’s head, and how he was carried away. She went into her room.
The next day of school, she read an interesting paragraph in the Memory Dragon book. At the very end, she had skimmed through the back, when she noticed something in minuscule writing.
The Old Saying
The devil will be so rude,
A young boy will act so crude,
A young girl with a dazzling memory dragon
Will end it all.
She has hair so blonde,
And she is very fond
Of a little animal
Willow wondered if that was her. She had a memory dragon, she may not be dazzling, but she did have one, Grey did act crudely, and the Devil was technically being rude- wait- if the Devil was rude, what did that have to do with Grey?
Her hair was blonde, but she didn’t have any little animal - except for Sky- that she was fond of.
She didn’t have any more time to ponder, though, because it was the end of class.
At the next class, she practiced with Sky, training her to fly. The end of class was the test. Sky flew and glided and soared with pinpoint precision.
“You’ve got this!” Willow told Sky when it was their turn to take the test. Sky fumbled a little at the start when showing off flying, but overall she did good.
When it was time for the listening, Sky passed through like a breeze.
Willow was told that this was one of the biggest grades she would ever do in that class, and she had to pass every single one to go to the next year, so she was relieved when the teacher told her she had passed.
She was going into the next year.