Chapter 18
I sat up in a bed, panting and clutching a soft sheet I was lying on. My heart pounded hard in my chest, and I felt like I was still falling, even though I knew that I wasn't.
My eyes scanned the area I was in, not taking anything in as I tried to calm my pounding heart. I was shaking for some reason, but it slowly started to stop as I could calm my beating heart.
After a few minutes, I slowly let out a breath of air and sagged back into my bed, closing my eyes. My head pounded as if something was trying to break in, and I knew that it wouldn't go away, no matter how much I wanted it to.
I groaned and moved my hands across my head, trying to ease some of the tension that I felt. My whole body was sore and screamed out in protest, but I didn't care because my main concern had been my head.
Something clambered onto the bed and onto my stomach before making this tiny roar sound that I had never heard before. The thing touched its... snout to my hand, and it made me stop rubbing my head and waited for it to do something else.
Again, the thing made a noise before touching my hand, and it was only the second time that it had done it before I removed my hands from my face to stare at the intruder.
A small dragon sat on my chest and stared at me with big blue eyes. Green, brown, and turquoise scales covered his body, small ridges littering the base of his nose. Small horns covered his face, some bigger than others, but all of them were smaller than the size of my middle finger.
The dragon cocked his head and studied me, waiting for me to do something or to say something against this growing silence. He didn't say a word, but I had a feeling it was only because I couldn't understand him.
"Well, the Dragon Mother was right," I said, leaning my head back on the pillow and closed my eyes for a bit.
I opened my eyes again and looked at the dragon to see that it was still sitting on me, the weight of him starting to become a problem.
"You know that you are heavy, right?" I asked. "Move."
The dragon scowled but got off of my stomach, moving to my side and almost pushing out of bed completely. He laid his head on my stomach and looked to my left, saying something that I couldn't understand.
Someone chuckled, and I looked in that direction to see the High King staring at my dragon before turning his gaze to me.
There was an unknown look in his eyes, but I could see that he was hesitating.
He didn't know if I wanted to see him after gaining my memories back.
"Your dragon says that he isn't heavy; you are just weak," he said.
I sat up in the bed and moved until I was leaning against the headrest, my gaze never leaving the male before me. "What can you tell me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
The High King, Ard?n, sighed, and sagged underneath my gaze.
He looked tired, the weight of the world appearing on his shoulders because he knew that I remembered.
"Not much," he replied honestly. "We don't have much time, anyway, and the time we do have will be him telling you stuff.
" He shifted his gaze to my other side, and I turned my head to see Jonah slouching in the other chair, fast asleep.
A snore escaped his lips before he grunted, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the peaceful looking male.
I tore my gaze from him and looked at the High King to notice him already staring at me. "The Shifter?" I asked, talking about the bear that had attacked my family and me on that night so long ago.
A shiver went down my spine as I remembered the attack on us, the screams of pain from my brother, and the shouts from my father, telling me to run as he went to attack the bear.
I remembered freezing when the bear turned his gaze to me and started to stalk towards me, swiping at my father and killing him as if he was nothing.
But, the thing that I remembered the most was the sinking feeling in my stomach because I knew that I was next. I knew that the Shifter was going to kill me next, and I had no way to protect myself.
Ard?n grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly, tearing me away from the memory. Pain filled his eyes, and I knew that it was because I was staring at him with the same expression, the same wide eyes, that I had done when I first met him.
My dragon, Shilan, grunted and moved his head underneath my hand. He let out a growly purr, and I turned my gaze until I focused my attention on him.
"He apologizes," Ard?n said, tearing my gaze away from my dragon to look at him. "He shouldn't have done that. He didn't know that the memory was that painful."
I licked my lips and looked down. "Ummm... it's ok," I said, moving a hand through my hair. I cleared my throat and looked back at him. "I was going to have to remember it one of these days."
Ard?n nodded his head. "The Shifter is alive. We have been keeping tabs on him after a... certain request." He glanced at Jonah and then looked at me.
I nodded my head and furrowed my brows. "How can you understand my dragon, and I can't?" I asked, changing the subject. I needed to get away from the memory, needed to focus on something else, and mull over what had happened by myself.
"You haven't bonded with your dragon fully," he replied. He raised his hand, silencing me. "Whatever you did with the Dragon Mother only bonded you two so far," he said. "You will start having lessons about dragons soon as well as your responsibilities as a Dragon Rider."
I hesitated but nodded my head. Again, I turned my gaze to Jonah before looking at him.
"I don't want to wake him," I said, knowing full well that Ard?n wanted to wait until Jonah was awake before we completed whatever we needed to do.
"But I can't wait any longer. I am late as it is. Can you help?"
Ard?n opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He looked at my dragon and frowned before looking back at me. "He is going to hate it," he said, talking about Jonah. "However, you are right. You need to get going."
I nodded my head, relieved that he wasn't going to make me wait for Jonah. "So, what do I need to do?" I asked, shifting in my seat. I was excited but nervous, my heart pounding in my chest at the thought of finishing whatever I needed to do to be fullyconnected with my dragon.
Anticipation filled the air around us, and I knew that Shilan was excited as well. Our fate was intertwined with each other as it is, but with a bond like Ard?n was talking about meant that nothing could break it, except for death.
"Take off your shirt, and face your dragon," Ard?n said. He scowled when caught my raised eyebrow. "I helped healed you, Child," he said. He ignored my glare when he called me a "child." "The faster you take your shirt off, the faster he can mark you."
"Mark me... how?" I asked. I glanced at my dragon and then at Ard?n.
"Dig his claw into your back," Ard?n replied. He blinked and nodded his head when he saw my shocked look. "It'll hurt for a few hours and be tender for a couple of days. However, it is worth it."
I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicious. "What do you mean that it will be worth it?" I asked.
Ard?n sighed and held out his left arm. He pulled his sleeve up to reveal a tattoo that was a dragon eye.
The eye of the dragon was green and had a very menacing look to it. Nothing was special about the eye, except there was something black circling it.
The urge to touch the eye, to see what had happened flowed through my body, but I didn't.
"Because I was a Digra before, just like Jonah."
I lifted my head in shock as those words left his mouth, not expecting it, and it broke the urge to touch his arm to see... something.
Ard?n nodded his head, slowly, and pulled his sleeve down again.
"Yes, I was a Dragon Rider a long time ago in my youth.
However, my dragon was killed." His voice shook, and I could tell that he missed his dragon.
He cleared his throat and shifted, glancing behind me at the "sleeping" Jonah. "It's how I met your mentor."
I turned my gaze to Jonah, noticing how much older he looked than he normally did when he was awake. I studied the male in front of me, taking in the wrinkles and creases that appeared on his face and the bags underneath his eyes.
"He has been through a lot," Ard?n mused. "For a Human." He sighed. "Human Riders were rare back then." He shook his head. "Your mentor will have to explain that to you. I had made a promise not to."
I nodded my head, still looking at Jonah. I knew that he was awake; I could feel it, but he didn't open his eyes to look at me.
No, he stayed in his chair with his eyes closed. He was listening to our conversation but didn't help. He didn't give me the comfort that I needed, the guidance that I craved, for he had been my mentor for as long as I could remember and helped teach me stuff that I knew.
He was my second father.
Shilan nudged my arm, and I pulled my gaze from him and looked at the small dragon. He cocked his head, and I could tell that he was wondering if I was going to take off my shirt.
I let out a deep breath and nodded my head. "Ok," I said. "I will." I turned my back to my dragon and pulled off my shirt before untying the strings of my undergarment to reveal my back.
Shilan nudged my shoulder in reassurance before he dug his claw into my back.
Pain filled my body, and it took all of my self-control not to scream out in pain. I bit my lip hard and tasted blood as I closed my eyes, grimacing and not moving an inch, even though I wanted to. I wanted to get away from this pain.
A prickling sensation filled my body, traveling down my feet from the top of my head. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention as that and warmth filled my body.
After a minute or so, Shilan removed his claws from my back, slicing through some of the skin and marking me as his own.
"Can you hear me?" a young male voice asked. "Did this work? I can break down your wall, you know. It can't stop me if I want to communicate with you."
I didn't reply and panted, trying to calm my pounding heart as well as gain my breath again. I felt complete, like I had gained a part of my soul again, intertwining my fate with this young dragon behind me.
"Heeellllloooo?" Shilan asked. He nudged my shoulder before looking at Ard?n. "I think she is broken."
"She is still human, Shilan," Ard?n said, disapprovingly. "Let her process what had happened. She is in pain."
Shilan paused and looked at Ard?n before looking at me. Again, he looked at Ard?n, and I could tell that he understood. "Oh." He twisted around until he set his head in my lap.
Slowly, the pain became bearable, and I opened my eyes to see my dragon's head on my lap. I blinked and watched as he blinked as well.
"Well?" he asked, cocking his head.
"That hurt," I replied. I looked at Ard?n and nodded my head to his unasked question, ignoring Shilan's snort. "I'll be ok," I whispered. "How long will it be tender?"
"A couple of days," he said, relieved. "Can you get yourself dressed?"
I hesitated but nodded my head. "I think so." I cleared my throat and tried to tie my undergarment back the way it was but couldn't.
"May I?" Ard?n asked. He stood when I turned my back towards him and traced the claw mark on my back, leaving behind some relief from the pain. "It will still be tender," he said, tying the undergarment. "However, it will not hurt, at least for a couple of hours."
Shilan scoffed and rolled his eyes. He didn't say a word, but I could tell that he was dissatisfied with Ard?n healing my back.
"When will I start training?" I asked. I kept my gaze on Jonah, praying that he would open his eyes and tell me everything.
"Tomorrow night," Ard?n replied, finishing. He helped me pull my shirt back over my head. "Jonah and I will be helping you. We will look after your dragon."
I nodded. "Food?" I asked, looking at my dragon before looking up at him. I was worried, hoping that Shilan would at least get a better meal than me.
"We will handle it," he promised. "And handle stuff for you and your people."
Numbly, I nodded my head, rubbing the bridge of my dragon's nose. "Behave," I said, standing. "Don't be too much trouble."
Shilan grinned, showing some pointy teeth. "Me? Trouble?" he asked. He narrowed his eyes. "You are the one that should behave. Don't punch any princesses today."
I rolled my eyes but didn't reply. "My basket?" I asked, looking at Ard?n.
"By the door," he replied, nodding to the entrance. "Jonah will collect you tomorrow night." There was a promise in his voice, and I knew that he would make him do it.
"Ok," I said, nodding my head. I bowed my head, and Ard?n's bowed his as well. "I hope the sun shines, and the path is always green."
"Until we meet again," he replied.
I offered him a small smile, glanced at the sleeping Jonah before making my way to my basket.
After picking it up, I glanced at the three of them and smiled at the two who were staring at me before taking my leave and going back to the real world to do my work again.