Serenity's Awakening
I had a lot of things on my mind when the High Priestess finally lead us into the main chamber of the temple.
Just like the entrance hall, it was huge and cavernous, yet delicately beautiful with white stone and pink and gold banners.
Despite the thoughts swirling around my mind I still managed to note the few people standing within the large room, all of them crowded near a raised dais at the far end of the hall.
The back wall held yet another painting, this one also stunning and clearly done by a true artist. Instead of the goddess it instead depicted a grand, crystal blue lake, at the center of which was a small grassy island.
The only thing on the island seemed to be a single tree with dark bark and pale pink leaves on a back drop of blue skies filled with fluffy clouds.
Had we not been here for an important reason I may have enjoyed just gazing at it for a long time.
Despite it's simplicity, it felt like I could make out various shapes in the clouds, the detailed leaves, and even in the ridges of the bark.
With Leon at my side, the High Priestess lead us down the center of the room. There were no seating here at all, making it look more like a ballroom than a place of worship.
"Wait here with the others." Smiled the elderly woman. She gestured her hand toward someone in the small group of people and I saw a younger man dressed in robes nod his head before hurry back the way we had come. "Thank you for entertaining this old woman for a short time Allura."
"Oh, no, thank you for showing us that painting." I said genuinely. It had been an interesting experience to be sure.
The Priestess merely smiled and followed the other man at a much slower pace. I didn't see Serenity among the few gathered people, so assumed that she was getting ready for the ceremony in another room.
"Mother." Leon smiled as we joined the group of attendees. The beautiful elf woman stood in an elegant but plain gown, smiling at us.
"Welcome Leon, Allura. It's been a while." She said in her delicate voice, eyes shimmering as if we were the lights of her life.
I felt a little ashamed that she had hardly crossed my mind in the last weeks while Leon and I were off doing our own things. She probably would have like to spend more time with her son.
She reached out a hand and set it affectionately against Leon's face. Feeling left out, I leaned forward and waited for my own pat. Queen Sillia beamed, lifting her other hand to stroke my jaw as well.
"You both are growing faster everyday." She sighed a little wistfully. "And, to think the adorable little Serenity has now reached the age of her Awakening too."
"She's very excited." Smiled Leon, though I could hear the worry in his voice.
I could only imagine how hard his own Awakening must have been.
All his loved ones gathered, a huge festival like today.
.. only to learn that the Gods seemed to have abandoned him.
Or, perhaps worse: forgotten him entirely.
.. I really wanted to bite them. Serenity had better get amazing skills or I would be putting in a complaint!
Looking at the other gathered people, I notice several vaguely familiar faces.
Some old men and women I assumed were higher nobles of the kingdom, but also a woman with long dark hair wearing a red gown.
I had seen her in the king's throne room the day I arrived at the capital, and only just realized that she actually shared some resemblance to Queen Amanda. Were they related?
I remembered that she had been a dragoon as well, but her red lizard was no where to be seen.
I guess it was true that other dragon's couldn't be bothered to come to these celebrations.
The woman was eyeing me with curiosity, but it wasn't like she was the only one.
I saw that several people here were eager to approach, probably wanting to introduce themselves.
I really hoped they didn't. I was to distracted by my thoughts to be overly sociable to strangers right now.
My mind was still jumping between between two things why also worrying for Serenity: my skill list, and my resemblance to the goddess Asteria.
I think our resemblance was coincidental.
At least I hoped it was. It was somewhat disconcerting to think that Asteria could just butt in and alter even my appearance at will.
It was true that I didn't look too much like my mother, but I had assumed that that was because I probably looked more like my father's line of dragons.
Whoever he was. I really didn't like the idea of her changing me as she pleased. ..
As for the skill list... Well, as much as I loved Serenity and respected this ceremony, I really wanted to get back to Leon and I's room to look over the list again. Ever since I heard the word 'Bestow' I haven't been able to get it out of my head. I needed some time to sit and think about it.
But, if it was what I thought it was, then I may be able to help Leon once again.
It was a strange thing to think about, given that the bestowal of skills was- from what I understood- solely the providence of the gods.
If I had that skill then what did that make me?
Not a god, surely. I may have grown quite the ego since becoming a dragon, but even I wouldn't be crazy enough to think that.
If I were a god then shouldn't I have been able to protect my mother and unhatched siblings?
A freaking shell wouldn't have been able to thwart me so badly, that was for sure.
"Its starting." Said Sillia, lowering her hands and turning back toward the large doors at the front of the church.
We looked back and saw the Hight Priestess slowly walking down toward the dais.
Behind her were three other people: one was the king looking dashing in a white and gold suite, a simple crown atop his head.
Walking to his left was Queen Amanda, her hair styled up on top of her head in a net of pearls and she, too, wore a gown of simple white silk.
If this had been earth then I might have called it a wedding dress.
It was between the two royals that the real main character walked.
Serenity always looked adorable, but today she was just so much extra.
She wore a dress of elaborate white and pink laces and bows, frills everywhere, and- if I wasn't mistaken- tiny little feathered wings sewn into the back.
She had pink flowers and bows in her honey-gold hair, and an adorable little golden tiara on her head.
She looked nervous as she walked between her parents, a hand held loosely in theirs and her little feet struggling slightly to keep up with their larger strides.
Eventually she looked up from the fool, where I assume she was trying to concentrate on not tripping over the hem of her gown.
The second her eyes landed on me they grew wide and a massive grin broke through her nerves.
She looked like she was about to call out to me, but then remembered where she was. She snapped her mouth shut and shot nervous glances at her father and mother, making me chuckle. She made due with offering me a slight- but clearly excited- nod as the group approached.
To my surprise, both the High Priestess and the two royals also stopped and offered me slight nods as well, acknowledging my presence before continuing on to the raised dais.
The event itself was quite short and sweet.
I supposed that since it was a small, private ceremony that there wasn't a need to make a huge spectacle about it.
The High Priestess made a short speech, thanking the gods for their grace and favor, then went on a few tangents about how amazing they were and about their various blessings.
.. to be honest I had started to tone her out.
Ten minutes later all the formalities were over. The High Priestess stepped back from Serenity and raised her hands up into the air, eyes to the ceiling. She said something in a language I did not understand, in a loud and deep voice, as if offering a prayer or a plea.
For about thirty seconds the room hovered in silence, the Priestess's hands still raised, Serenity standing with her own eyes closed, and the rest of us watching quietly.
Then, as if summoned down by the older woman, a small orb of light descended through the ceiling, fluttering slowly from side to side as if a leaf falling from a tree.
There was a collective gasp that lead me to believe that this was no a common occurrence. The orb was mad of a pale pink light, and not overly bright. We all watched as it fluttered down before changing directions, descending towards me rather than the little princess.
The light picked up speed, and as it reached me it no longer fluttered, but seemed to dace around in the air.
I could see no shape or form within the light, but I might have been tempted to call it a fairy.
It hopped and skipped around my head for a moment before landing rather foolishly on the tip of my snout.
Leon could not hold back a small, choking laugh when my eyes crossed, trying to keep the orb in sight.
I glared at the thing for a second before hissing out a whisper.
"Shoo! This is Serenity's day you know?" trying to blow the speck off my nose.
I probably looked foolish, and had it of been some stranger's Awakening I might not have cared, but I didn't want to ruin Serenity's big day.
The orb lifted off my snout, zoomed back and forth before my eyes for a second, then zipped toward the princess.
Her eyes grew wide as the tiny ball of light hovered at about her collarbone height.
The king stared at it, clearly unsure what to make of it, and perhaps slightly worried that it may be a threat.
Amanda had a starved look in her eyes, as if the gods themselves had come down to bless her, rather than her own daughter.
How greedy for power or attention was this woman?
Serenity lifted her hands and cupped the orb of light. It danced in her palms for a moment before rising up and bopping her right at the center of her forehead, exploding into a shower of tiny pink lights, as if an itty bitty firework went off in her face.
"Asteria has welcomed the princess!" Beamed the High Priestess, clearly ecstatic at this turn of events. "Perhaps you are destined to burn brightly as She Herself does, young Serenity."
Wait, was that light supposed to be a sign from Asteria or something? I glanced at Leon and saw that he look outrageously happy. He saw me looking and grinned so brightly that I thought that maybe he was a being of light instead.
"Surely Asteria will not let Serenity be abandoned!" He stated happily while Amanda and the king bent to share congratulatory words with their excited young daughter. "It is not often that the gods acknowledge a person."
"Does it mean that Serenity has to do something now?" My wild imagination leading me down mental roads of the poor girl being told she had to be a hero, or a saint of some sort.
Leon shook his head, still smiling. "No, nothing so grand.
After all, everyone has their skills from birth.
.. I suppose the gods could grant a skill later in a person's life, though I have never heard of it.
But, they are the gods, so if anyone could, it would be them.
No, this just means that Asteria has acknowledged Serenity- you too for that matter. "
"Me?" I said, not really wanting to have something as scary as a god keeping an eye on me.
He laughed. "Yes, you. Don't worry too much about it. Its not like Asteria is a deep and thought provoking goddess, nor one dedicated to war or valor. It could be something as simple as the fact that Asteria- the goddess of beauty and light- thinks you both are cute."
"I'm not cute." I growled. I was a dragon! Dragons were not cute; we were beautiful, powerful, and filled with grace. Not cute!
"Allura! Allura, you came!" Serenity's voice suddenly cut through the room and the small princess through herself at me.
Putting aside thoughts of skills and gods, I smiled down on the child clinging to my foreleg. "Of course, I wouldn't miss your big day after all."
"have you checked your skills Serenity?" Leon asked, patting his little sister on the head and kneeling before her so that they were at eye level.
"Yes! Just now with Momma and Father." She beamed and I saw relief flash over Leon's face. No matter what she got, if she was smiling that brightly then she at least got something.
"Get anything good?" I asked in a hushed whisper. I had been told it was rude to ask, but I was still very curious.
Serenity looked left and right, making sure that no one was listening in on us, before leaning in conspiratorially.
"I got some boring ones about charisma or something.
.. but also an archery skill! I neverimagined that I might have a combat skill!
Mother wasn't too pleased with it, but I am going to ask Father if I could get a teacher.
I Don't want to fight... but I think it would be fun to learn! "
"Bah, who cares what your mother thinks on this?
" I said, annoyed with the woman. Sure, I didn't want the princess going off to war, but there was no harm in her learning a combat skill, especially if she had been blessed with one!
Learning to defend oneself was smart, an practically a necessity in a world like this one.
"I think learning archery could be fun, even if you never need it. "
"I think so too!"
"Congratulations Serenity." Leon said softly, pulling his siter into an affectionate hug.
"Thank you Brother." She looked over Leon's shoulder at me, still grinning broadly. "I know there is a festival today, but will you also be coming to the Dragon festival?"
"Dragon festival?" I asked. How many festivals were there in this world?
"It's a yearly celebration." Explained Leon, his good mood evident. "Perhaps the biggest one held every year, as a matter of fact. Mainly because it is the only one that dragons actually bother to attend. Sometimes even wild ones show up, but not often."
"Really?"
Leon nodded but it was Queen Sillia who spoke, now done greeting the king and his other wife. "Its a holiday to celebrate our union with the dragons, and many of them come to be pampered and fawned over. It is a great party where dragons are treated as kings, one might say."
"I'm already treated that way though..." I said, interested all the same.
"Are you saying you would like to be treated better than a king?" Laughed a deep voice. I saw that King Orelious and Amanda had finished speaking with the other attendees and had approached us, the other dragoon with them. She bent down and greeted Serenity warmly.
"Auntie! I'm very happy you came!" Trilled the princess.
The woman smiled and I assumed that she must have been Amanda's sister. It would explain why they looked so much alike. Still, she looked at Serenity with such affection that I decided to not just lump her in with her sister just yet.
"I would rather not be treated as a king at all. Too much work." I told the king, acknowledging his authority by lowering my head ever so slightly.
King Orelious let out a booming laugh. "That is very true. Surly one need not be treated as a king if they can be treated as the greatest of beings: a dragon."
"True."
"Still, you should attend the festival. It would be a grand experience for a young dragon, and I am sure the people would be honored to see you there.
I'm sure it would also be a good opportunity for you to meet other dragons, as many tend to come to Helios around that time.
I will be using the occasion to ask some visiting friends of mine about your situation.
It will be much easier with everyone being in a single place. "
"Thank you. It puts me at ease to know that you are helping me out with this."
"Of course. You are a friend and benefactor of my family now.
Besides, as I said before, this happened on our lands, and therefore it is my duty to at least help in its resolution.
" He seemed to think for a moment before saying: "It may be smart to ask any visiting dragons about your situation.
I will be doing the same, but they may be more receptive if you were to ask them yourself.
Just because I am a king does not mean that dragons will be willing to tell me what I want. "
I nodded. That was a good idea, and one that I would be sure to act upon. Plus, the festival sounded fun, no matter what.
For the next hour we milled about the temple while Leon had to greet all the distinguished guests there, even the ones who had started to gather outside the main chamber.
I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Amanda's sister.
Her name was Rebeca and she seemed to be a polite and intelligent woman.
She said she was surprised that I had come.
Apparently Amanda had invited Rebeca's dragon to join them, but he had wasted no time turning the queen down.
All in all, just from first impressions, Rebeca seemed to be a more pleasant woman than Amanda at least. But I just wanted this all to be over so that Leon and I could go check out the festivities.
I didn't think I could play long as I was already maxing out on my social meter and needed to recharge it.
.. there was also the fact that I wanted to get some place quiet to look over my skills once more.