Part 11: Simon Falls

The next morning was to be their first flight together. Simon tried to get excited, but his fear just continued to grow. Pip didn't notice, his own excitement and hope completely drowning out all of Simon's fear.

Simon climbed on, surprised at how comfortable it felt to be there. He also felt better this time, wearing full plate and with both sword and shield strapped on. They wanted Pip to feel the full expected weight, and to see how he handled it.

So Simon was sitting on Pip, filled with dread. People bustled around, while Pip strutted. He was the last to carry his rider, and he was eager to get on with it.

Simon looked down to find Blake standing nearby. A different Guardian stood beside her, gleaming gold in the morning sun.

"I'm to be Pip's mage," she told him. "Good luck up there."

He had no time to ponder on what it meant to be "Pip's mage." Fordir stepped up to Pip and asked Simon, "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess."

"Go, Pip." Fordir slapped the copper drake on the rump, and Pip stepped up on the edge of the battlements.

Simon closed his eyes.

Pip took a deep breath, and Simon braced himself. But rather than leaping off immediately, Pip let out his breath in a powerful, brass roar.

Two deep bellows answered him from below, and then Pip leaped. "Pip's parents are proud. Pip's parents watch."

Simon felt rushing air. He bobbed weirdly in the air, and he felt the world falling away. The sounds of Pip's wings beside him soothed him, and he finally opened his eyes. Pip powered up towards the sky, wings striving to lift them faster and faster.

Simon had never felt anything like it in his life. It was as if Simon blended with Pip and the pair of them were united. He felt Pip's power as if it were his own. He felt an overwhelming sense of pride.

Pip winged over the mountains and fled across a blur of landscape. Simon couldn't believe it. He felt no fear at all, only an ever increasing sense of triumph and joy. Pip roared again, then turned. Simon leaned into the turn, finding himself instinctively responding to the movements and shifts of the great drake beneath him.

"Pip's mother says to return. Pip does not want to go. Pip wants to fly. Pip is strong, Simon is not heavy. Pip is a real drake now."

"We should go back. It wouldn't do to disobey on our first flight," Simon replied. He still couldn't believe it was this awesome. He couldn't believe he wasn't terrified.

Pip, his pervading emotion a mutinous displeasure, turned and flew back, much more slowly than he'd flown out. He soared, looking at the ground beneath them, watching people and animals scurrying about in their daily lives.

A strange sense of pervasive contentment fell over them, displacing everything else. This suddenly felt more real to Simon than any other part of life. As if he were waking from a dream to find that his real life was the open sky and the freedom of a drake's flight.

All too soon, though, the fortress came into sight, slowly growing in his vision from a tiny toy to the battlements he knew so well, and had never really loved.

As if equally reticent to give up the moment, Pip hovered, his wings stroking as he slowly lowered himself into an elegant, practiced landing that didn't jar Simon in the least.

Reluctantly, Simon slid down and wrapped his arms around Pip's neck.

"Simon rides well." Pip's eyes whirled with pride.

"Pip is the best flyer in the world," Simon responded, letting all of his pride, contentment, and pleasure leak through into his thought.

"That was an incredible flight," Fordir said. "Best first flight I've ever seen. Ever. And he's not even winded. He could do that again and not even feel it. Incredible."

Simon felt the prickle of magic on his skin, then heard Blake's lovely, lyrical voice. "They show no signs whatsoever of strain. I think they could safely handle several hours of flight already."

"No sign of flame?" It was Fordir's voice.

"None, Ser. His flame sacs appear unlikely to develop, they are still unopened and in a juvenile state."

"What?" Simon turned to look at her. He could barely focus on what they were talking about, looking into her eyes which were, indeed, purple like his own. "What are you talking about?" He looked at Fordir then, including him in the question.

Before Fordir could reply, Alistair landed and shifted to human form. No sooner had he done so, than his wife landed virtually on top of him and also shifted.

"Well?" Alistair demanded.

"The flight was incredible, My Lord! Pip is strong and Simon adjusted well."

"But?" His eyebrow rose at the tone of Fordir's voice.

"But it is as you suspected. There is no sign that Pip will ever breathe flame." Fordir noticeably refused to look at Simon when he said it.

Alistair sighed. "What a shame. One of our strongest drakes and best Riders, too."

Velistara shook her head. "Do not write them off yet. He may yet develop. It is never too late until their lives are ended."

Simon felt a strange fear building up in him. "Why is it a shame? We did well. We flew together!"

"Simon." Velistara was looking at him with undisguised pity. Shame ran through him, and he didn't know why. "You cannot be a proper fighting pair without flame breath. If he cannot flame his enemies, he can do little in real battles."

"Rescues, perhaps!" Fordir tried to soften the blow.

Simon turned away, trying to fight his feeling of dawning horror. His eyes met Blake's, and he saw that she was looking at him assessingly, without the pity the rest were trying in varying degrees to disguise.

He looked away, his eyes lighting on Pip. Poor Pip, so eager to be a proper drake. Poor Pip, who never would be.

Pip looked at him. To his surprise, he saw reflected there the same look as in Blake's eyes.

"Pip is not upset. Pip carried Simon. Pip is sad he cannot make Simon happy with fire."

"No, Pip! It's not that. I don't want you to be anything different. I love you, you're my friend." Simon tried to explain, but his feelings were too confused.

"Simon," Alistair said. "Go fly. You'll start regular sentinel duties tomorrow."

Simon nodded and climbed onto Pip again. He turned to see Blake watching once more. He turned away, ashamed. Pip didn't bother to walk up to the battlements this time, just leaped into the air and winged away.

Soon, Simon was able to let go of his hurt for a while. He loved flying as he'd never loved anything before, even Senathin.