Draconia was coming out of another cold winter. Spring was in the air, and summer was just around the corner. The dragons took advantage of the warm weather at once. They went out to sea, looking for fish. The other mythical creatures that lived in the country were also coming outside after being inside for three months. The country was completely alive.
Inside the Draconian Castle, things weren't so bright. Serenity woke up feeling very sad. Today her family would head up to Berk to spend the summer with their allies. This year, she had to stay behind alone. King Re and Queen Aurora had spent the winter building a house on the shores of Silver Valley Lake. They made it just big enough for Serenity, her husband Chris, and their daughter Edelweiss. They planned to live with Serenity during the winter, and go with the rest of the family to Berk in the summer. Serenity would have to stay there all year.
Serenity liked Silver Valley Lake. It was full of activity and it was very peaceful. But this would be the first time she would have be without any of her family. It was this fact that made her dread the summer.
She sat up and leaned against her pillows. She been trying come up with ways to make her family change their minds. But didn't see any of them making a difference. It was unavoidable. She got out of bed. Chris was still asleep and she decided to leave him. She scanned her wardrobe and pulled out a plain, grey, polyester dress. She stepped behind the changing screen and changed into it. When she stepped back out, Chris was awake.
"Hey Serenity," he said.
"Hi," Serenity said quietly. Chris quickly picked on her mood, mostly because she hadn't worn grey since Ruby died. He got up and hugged her. She hugged him back.
"You going to be okay?" Chris asked.
"I don't know," Serenity confessed.
"Well we're heading out in an hour," Chris said. Serenity tightened her grip on him.
"I wish this wasn't happening," she said. "I want to go with you."
"Maybe next year," said Chris. Just then Windwalker came up the stairs. Chris and Serenity stepped apart and acknowledged her.
"Hey Windwalker," said Chris.
"Oh please, don't let me interrupt you two," Windwalker said cheerfully. "I just come to tell you that the finishing touches on your house are done. We're ready when you are." Serenity backed up and sat on the bed. Both Chris and Windwalker could tell she was about to cry again. Windwalker nuzzled her cheek.
"Hey, don't cry again," she said softly. "You'll be fine." Serenity hugged the dragon's head.
"Will I ever see you guys again?" she asked.
"Sure you will," Chris said, sitting on the bed beside her. "What would give you the idea that you wouldn't?"
"You went flying once on Re," Serenity said. "And I didn't see you again for ten years." Chris wrapped an arm around her again.
"Is that what you're so afraid of?" he asked.
"Ruby died, then you were lost at sea," Serenity said. "And though I got both of you back, you're all leaving me again."
"We'll come back," said Windwalker. "You ready to head out?" Serenity sighed and drew back.
"Yeah," she said. She wiped away her tears. She and Chris got to their feet and followed Windwalker downstairs.
They met up with the other Draconians in the entrance hall. Ruby, Harmony, and Eider were among them. Serenity avoided Ruby's eyes. For so many years he was the one dragon she could always rely on. While he was on Earth, he had alway been there. Whenever she needed him, all she had to do was send for him and he would be there as fast as he could. Only just recently was Serenity able to be there for him when he got sick or injured. But now even Ruby was leaving her behind.
Ruby could see the look of betrayal on her face. He felt so guilty about leaving her behind. He wanted so badly to stay with her. But Windwalker had told him that all parents and guardians would, someday, have to let their child go out on their own. It was one of the hardest and most emotional ways to show their love. The leader of Sliver Valley, Arson, and his mate BlueSky, had promised the royal family that Serenity would be well supported. They would check on her every day, so she had someone to talk to and a shoulder to cry on.
"Hey Serenity," said Aurora. "Are you okay?" Serenity looked at the ground. She sniffed.
"Let's just go," she said. The dragons looked at each other. Serenity mounted Tenor, Chris got on Windwalker. They went outside to the lawn. Ruby, Harmony, and the children were planning to head for Berk ahead of them. Tenor looked over his wing at his rider. She looked beyond upset.
"You're going to love this place we built," he said. "We put in the prettiest spot on the lake. There's lots of flat space for a garden, and a gentle slope into the water, perfect for launching a boat."
"You gonna ruin the whole thing for her Tenor?" Re said. "Let's go already." They took off and headed southwest towards Silver Valley Lake.
Soon they flew over it. The lake was 25 miles long, 3 miles wide, and 6,000 feet deep. It was surrounded by hills, not quite tall enough to be mountains. The city of Silver Valley sat on the north end of the lake, the Dragon River ran right through it. On the south end was on of two deltas on the Dragon River, the other being where the river emptied into the ocean.
The dragons landed on the western shore, in a small cove with low hills on either side. Chris and Serenity dismounted. There were a few small trees and a few ferns. But it was mostly green grass. Serenity saw the tiniest house near one of the larger trees. It was made of brick and had a door and one large window. It was vivid electric blue, with a white door and white window frame. It had a path made of granite leading to a small L- shaped dock, where a bright red canoe waited. Serenity looked at the little blue house. It looked cosy and reminded her a bit of her house on Berk, the one she would never see again. Aurora looked at her.
"You'll find it's quite comfortable," said the queen. Serenity said nothing, she didn't even look at anyone. She pulled her medical bag of Tenor's saddle and walked silently towards the house. She opened the door and vanished inside.
"She didn't even say good bye," Tenor said.
"She hates saying good bye," Chris said. "I wish she didn't have to so often."
"In a few years she won't ever have to say good bye again," said Re. "We can be around her all day, and never have to leave her behind."
"Well, we should get going," said Windwalker.
"Do we really have to do this to her?" Chris asked.
"She'll be fine," said Windwalker. "I'm guessing by the time we get back, she'll be happy again." Chris reluctantly got back on her. The dragons turned and took off. They headed back north. Chris kept glancing back towards the lake. Windwalker noticed.
"She's probably crying now," Chris said.
"Yeah, but she won't be crying forever," said Windwalker. "It'll get easier for her. It'll take along time I'm sure."
"Next year I'm staying with her," Chris said. "I don't care what you say." Windwalker narrowed her eyes.
"Okay," she said. She thrust her wings back and caught up with the others as they headed over coast.
Serenity stood in the hallway of the house. It was a long one, with rooms branching off it. To her left was a large living room with sofas and a love seat. They were both made of brown leather. The sword Excalibur hung in its case on the wall over the stone fireplace. On the right was the kitchen with an iron stove, granite counters, and blue wooden cabinets that had the Draconian crest painted on them. At the very end of the hall was a large bedroom. Between that room and the living room on the left was another door. Serenity could kind of see into it, enough to see that it was a bedroom for Edelweiss. Right beside the front door, just before the kitchen, was a narrow staircase that went down. Curiosity got the better of her and she went down the stair.
At the bottom was a huge room, as big as the foundation of the small house. The Round Table sat in the middle, a few chairs placed around it, one of which was King Arthur's throne. On the walls were some other items from Aurora's collection. The Aegis hung on the wall along with: the Holy Lance, Poseidon's trident, and the Golden Fleece. In the farthest corner from the stairs was a china cabinet that held the Chintamani stone, the Magic Lamp, and the Cup of Life. Serenity could almost feel the magic from all these items, filling the house.
"I don't know if you magical objects can hear me," she said. "But I don't suppose you could bring them back." The items didn't answer her. She turned and went back upstairs. She went to the her bedroom and laid down on her bed. The bed was no bigger than the ones she'd slept on before, but this one seemed much bigger. She wanted so badly for Chris be laying next to her, and for Tenor to be sleeping on the floor next to it, though no adult dragon could fit inside the house. It finally it really hit her; she was alone and would be for several months. She buried her face in her pillows, and cried herself to sleep.
The rest of the family had lost sight of Draconia. They caught up with Ruby, Harmony, and the children. They were all quite for several miles. Edelweiss was very upset that her mother wasn't there.
"I want Mama," she wined.
"You can see her when we get back," Aurora said. "You'll be very busy for the next few weeks. You'll be back in you mother's arms before you know it." Edelweiss seemed to calm down slightly. Re changed the subject.
"You think these guys are old enough to try unlocking their titan wings?" he asked.
"I think Eider might be," said Windwalker. "I was his age when I unlocked mine. I'll try and unlock it, once I come up with a good challenge for him to face."
"But what if he's killed?" asked Avalon.
"Then I get to see my parents again," said Eider. "I don't fear death."
"Very nobly said," said Windwalker. "But I'm going to make sure you don't die." Eider shrugged and went back to focused on flying.
"I wonder what it will look like," Tenor said.
"It'll probably have the lighting effect that yours has," said Eider. "Along with some of a Whippertail's titan wing. It'll be interesting." Windwalker looked over her wing at her rider.
"You're awfully quiet," she said.
"I can't stop thinking about her," Chris said. "We took away her whole family. She's all alone."
"She's strong," said Windwalker. "She can make it. Then she'll have it all back." Chris sighed. They picked up seed and headed for Berk.
Serenity woke up and it was dark. There were no windows in the room so she couldn't tell what time of day it was. She rolled onto her back and glanced at the dark ceiling. She began to come up with things to do. Her family was long gone, and half her mind believed that they wouldn't come back for her, that they didn't want her anymore and that's why she alone right know. And if they didn't come back, then she wouldn't fly again. She missed flying as much as she missed her family. She wanted to fly, really badly. Perhaps Arson or BlueSky would take her flying. She planned to ask them when they checked on her. Her hopes weren't high however.
Suddenly she heard a knock on the front door. Serenity got up and went to the front door. She opened it and saw two dragons on the threshold. One was violet red with black horns, claws, and spines. The other was crystal blue with white on the edge of their wings, and sunny yellow eyes. Serenity recognized these dragons at once.
"Arson, BlueSky," she said.
"Hey, how you doing Serenity?" BlueSky asked softly. Serenity sighed sadly.
"I miss them," she said.
"We know," said Arson. "I'm sure they miss you too, a lot." Serenity wiped away her tears.
"I don't suppose either one of you could take me flying?" she asked. "I miss flying too." The two dragons looked at each other.
"We will when we have time," said Arson. "We do have a lake and town to run."
"Not to mention that we have a new hatchling to provide for," BlueSky added. "His name is Red Fern."
"Oh, congratulations," Serenity said quietly. "But when would you have time?" They looked at each other again.
"We don't know," said Arson.
"Right now?" asked Serenity.
"No, not right now," said BlueSky. "We should be heading back, Red Fern will be hungry." Serenity sighed sadly.
"I thought so," she said. She started to close the door.
"Hang on a second," said Arson. Serenity opened the door again. "I didn't say we would never take you flying, we'd love to and we certainly will. But we have other citizens to provide for, including Red Fern."
"Why don't you try out that canoe?" asked BlueSky. Serenity opened the door wider. She'd forgotten about the canoe.
"I suppose I could," she said. "I could use the distraction." This seemed to please the two dragons.
"Is there anything else we can get for you?" asked BlueSky.
"Crop seeds, flower seeds," Serenity said. She went back inside and grabbed a pen and paper. She wrote a list of crops and flowers she wanted to grow. She came back and gave the list to Arson.
"With all these distractions, hopefully I will forget about them," Serenity said.
"Why do you want to forget them?" asked BlueSky.
"So it won't be so painful," Serenity said. "Having to stay here with no family." She sniffed and wiped her tears away. "Maybe someday, a few years down the line, they will have time to be with me. Even if it's just for a few seconds."
"Do you still love them?" asked BlueSky.
"I do," said Serenity. "But that's not enough to bring them back."
"They're only going to be gone a few months," said Arson. "Then they'll come back for you."
"They'll come and visit, but they will leave again," said Serenity. "They won't ever stay."
"Yes they will," said Arson. "The king and queen plan to retire on this lake. So you'll see more of your family as time goes on."
"Well we have to go," said BlueSky. "Can't keep Red Fern waiting. You can come visit us whenever you want." Serenity took a deep breath.
"I don't know if I should get close to anyone else," she said. "They will eventually turn around and leave, I can't take it any more."
"We won't leave you," said Arson. "We live here too. Anytime you need us, come to our cave. It's right across the lake from you. You can come over in your canoe." Serenity just nodded. The dragons turned around and took off. Serenity was alone again.
She went back inside and changed her clothes. There was a walk in closet in her bedroom. Her wedding dress was on a mannequin that sat in one back corner of the closet, her glass slippers next to it. She avoided looking at it and picked out clean clothes. She changed in to a dark red shirt and kaki pants. She left the room and the house. She had nothing to eat, so breakfast was out. She would have to grow her own food, and that would take a while.
She went out onto the dock where the canoe waited. A paddle sat in it, the boat was ready to go. She took a huge breath and climbed in. She untied the boat and began paddling the canoe towards the mouth of the cove.