Lillyan
What is the problem with that? Adurni õ karráy asked. Lillyan was speaking with the fish again.
She gazed at her shining palm and shrugged. I don't know, the elf teachers say that the dragon riders main priority are THE ELVES but when I checked in the scrolls it said something entirely different.
What did it say? The fish asked.
Something about how every race is an equal, how the riders should be free and honest and…well, that is it.
The fish pondered for a while before coming to the conclusion 'your matters are too complicated for my primitive fish mind' and swimming off.
Lillyan through a rock in after it, traitor!
Ow!
Lillyan sighed and let herself plonk on the rock by the river.
Is something wrong? Syrai asked.
Yes, where are you?
In lessons but it is terribly dull, Syrai answered.
Really? Dull?
Yes, we are learning about manners again.
Well you do need a bit of help in that…Lillyan chuckled. Syrai sent her a frown and she laughed even more before calming down and looking at the river. Speaking of manners…
Lillyan searched for the fish but could not find it and so left the message to a nearby tree 'tell the messenger of seas I apologise for my behaviour'. Then she crept into the library and searched the shelves for dragon riders.
There were many books as well as scrolls, so Lillyan decided to search a book for information for once. The read the spines of the books 'the boundaries of dragon riders' 'A thousand dragon rider ballads' 'a list of dragon riders'…Lillyan paused and slid the book from its place before falling back onto a seat and cautiously putting the book on her lap.
The cover was amazing. Hundreds of different dragons flew over, fought or stood on a barren landscape with no trees, then in the middle was a wise old man with a long white beard over which the book title was inked in golden letters. Lillyan opened it and looked through the index. The book seemed relatively new, the pages were crisp and white and the ink shiny as if it had only just dried.
The first chapter was about Eragon, the first ever dragon rider, but Lillyan had already found what she was looking for. The second Eragon, at the very bottom, on the very last page.
Excited she started flicking through the pages until the very last page appeared and she read; 'please read 'a thousand dragon rider ballads'. Lillyan had to resist the urge to slam the book shut and instead gently closed the book and retrieved the ballads from the shelf.
~O~
SYRAI
Syrai sat cross-legged on the floor of his tutor's room with the arrogant and mean elf child as well as one of the other two. All three of them were between 12 and 14 years of age and so had to have lessons together when it came to manners. His hands were placed on the floor, fingers outstretched and eyes closed.
Syrai! His teacher called. His eyes closed, he dragged himself forwards, stood up and hid under what he hoped was a table.
Farrón! The teacher beckoned the arrogant boy then. He opened his eyes and stood up, bowing to his teacher and walked over to the table under which Syrai was sat.
"Syrai, may we speak?"
Stay hidden, you are deeply upset, his teacher whispered into his mind.
Farrón let himself down to his knees and peered beneath the table. Syrai kept his eyes closed and his fingers apart. Farrón nodded and sat down beside him. Ten minutes went by, fifteen, twenty, half an hour, forty five minutes an hour. The boy let out a quiet exasperated sigh which he would have gotten a lot of trouble for if the tutor had heard it.
Syrai let on, make it up as you go along, the teacher told Syrai now.
He opened his eyes and looked at Farrón, "I am upset…"
"No, no, no, no!" his teacher yelled. "Syrai, why did you greet him? Or give him time to greet you? Your fingers are still apart while you speak and you do NOT burst out with feelings, try again!"
Syrai scowled at the floor, put his fingers together and began once again, uttering the greeting as he knew he must go first since Farrón was the son of an elf who was king of an island thousands of leagues away. "With regret I must say I dislike the elf schooling, I find it too…snappy," his gaze wandered to his tutor "however, if I speak my mind I fear punishment, I seek help, are you willing Farrón Ayresson?"
His tutor clapped. "Excellent Syrai, and what a wonderful situation, such a shame I cannot put it down as made up, why do you think that is Syrai?"
"Even in your eyes I may be rude but you know I am not dim," Syrai stepped slowly through the room, pausing in front of his teacher before continuing. "I have also read a lot MURTAGH Elda"
~O~
LILLYAN
Blue, blue the water, blue,
Blue like the sea,
Blue like the sky,
Sapphire blue,
Red, red the fire, red,
Red like the embers,
Red like the blood,
Crimson red,
Red and blue lightning bolts,
Dancing in the sky,
For king, for country,
For people and liberty
Falling, thrashing, fighting, slashing,
Oh, the red and blue,
Blue is flailing,
Red is thrashing,
Oh the red and blue
Sky, sky, turning grey, the sky
Clouds over the battle
With streaming rain
With Pouring rain
Thunder, lightning! Crashing down
Blue and red are fighting
Red and blue
Blue and red
Blue is bighting, red is scratching
Blue is parting, red is catching
For burden and sin
For life and joy
Falling, thrashing, fighting, slashing,
Oh, the red and blue,
Red is fleeing,
Blue is chasing,
Oh the red and blue
The blue, the blue she was stunned
As the red flipped on its back
The blue, it scratched
The blue it harmed
The red, the red was falling
Flapping wildly as it could
And it's rider, unattached
Fell toward the ground
The ballad stopped there. NO! Lillyan yelled in her mind. Why did it stop there? It had to go on! That was not the end, it couldn't be! She glared at the book and thrust it back into its place before grabbing a dragon scroll and running away with it. She collided with Syrai who, very angrily had been storming out of the neighbouring room. Lillyan looked at him. He looked at her. Then they were hugging each other, Lillyan whining, Syrai moaning.
this is where i need help, see. I don't know whether to make Lillyan's dragon male or female, and since the next chapter is supposed to be called 'The name' for obvious reasons, i kinda need a solution fast...SO i am going to-or already have-put up a poll with the two choices and i would apprecate some VOTES!