Chapter 11

When they got there they rushed Chris to the Bluegreen Hospital. Serenity still couldn't get over the fact that Chris took the blame for her. She thought about telling the king and queen the real story. But they believed Chris's story, and probably wouldn't believe her anyway.

She sat in the waiting room with Re and Aurora. They waited quietly as the Healer Dragons patched up Chris. When Serenity saw him again, she planned on giving him a big grateful hug. She hoped for an opportunity to pay him back.

Suddenly Vitamin entered the room. Everyone looked up, hopeful.

"Chris broke his right arm in two places," he said. "And he has a concussion. We operated already. He's in recovery if you want to see him."

"Thank you Vitamin," said Aurora. Serenity followed them down the hall, after the Healer Dragon.

When they arrived in the recovery ward Re and Aurora stopped outside the door. They turned to Serenity.

"You'll have to wait outside Serenity," said Re.

"I want to see him," Serenity protested.

"You will," Aurora promised. "But not right now. Wait here, we'll come back." They turned and went inside. Serenity waited, leaning against the wall. She watched the Healer Dragons wonder back and forth. It was mostly quiet. Suddenly she was approached by a large dragon that she had never seen before. He had emerald green scales, and sapphire blue wings. He also had gold eyes, spines, horns, and talons. He stopped and turned to Serenity. Though she had never seen this dragon before, she knew exactly who he was.

"Lord Draco," she said, quietly.

"Serenity," Draco replied, his voice was smooth and warm.

"You know me?" Serenity asked.

"How could I not?" Draco asked. "Ruby talks about you all the time."

"You've seen him?" Serenity asked. Draco nodded.

"He lives in my heavenly domain," he said. "You're always on his mind. He really misses you." Serenity looked at the ground sadly.

"I miss him too," she said. "I wish I could see him again." Draco lowered his head. Serenity put her hand over her hidden locket. Draco used the tip of his tail to lift her chin so she was looking into his golden eyes.

"You'll be together again," he said. "I promise." Serenity cautiously reached her hand out towards his muzzle. He quietly put his nose in her palm. His scales were as smooth and warm as his voice. Serenity thought a few minuets. There were several long moments of silence.

"I want to talk to Vitamin," she said. Draco seemed surprised.

"I'll go get him," he said. "Wait here." He went through the door into the recovery ward. Serenity was back to waiting.

A short while later Draco came back with Vitamin. The Healer Dragon looked just as confused as Draco.

"You wanted to see me Serenity?" he asked.

"Yes sir," said Serenity. "I've decided that I want to be a healer like you." Vitamin's eyes went wide.

"Really, what brought this on?" he asked.

"Ruby," said Serenity. "I don't want other dragons to suffer the same terrible fate he did. Also because I don't want to loose anymore friends, I couldn't bare it." Vitamin sighed.

"That makes sense," he said. "I would be glade to have you as a student. But it'll have to wait a bit. Re and Aurora want to take you and Chris out into the world, once he's healed. Your training will have to wait until you guys get back."

"Is he okay?" Serenity asked.

"Yes," said Vitamin. "Re and Aurora will be out shortly, then you can go see him." Serenity took several deep breaths and calmed down. Draco lowered his head again.

"Serenity, would you object to be my rider for a while?" he asked humbly. Serenity looked at him.

"I don't want to replace Ruby," she said.

"No, you won't be replacing him," Draco said. "But just before I left, he said he wanted you to get back in the saddle on your own dragon." Serenity sighed.

"It'll be a good idea," said Vitamin. "If you're going to be a dragon healer, it's always good to have a second pair of hands. And Draco being Draco, you couldn't have a better set of hands." Draco seemed amused by this. Serenity considered for a few minuets. She looked around as she pondered it.

"Alright," she said.

"It'll be okay, you'll see," said Draco. "I know I'm not Ruby, but I hope we can good friends." Serenity nodded. Both dragons seemed pleased.

Just then Re and Aurora came out. They looked stressed and tired. But then they looked surprised when they saw who was keeping Serenity company.

"Father?" said Aurora, with deep respect. Draco smiled warmly.

"How's my grandson?" he asked.

"Healing," said Aurora. "It'll be a long time before he can move his arm again." Draco's eyes softened.

"Can I see him now?" asked Serenity.

"Yes you may," said Re. Vitamin escorted Serenity into the recovery ward.

They entered a small room. Chris was sitting up in bed, awake. His broken arm was wrapped in a cast and cradled in a sling. His head was wrapped in bandages. He looked up when Serenity came in. He beamed. She went up to him slowly.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "My arm's pretty sore though." He patted the bed and Serenity sat down.

"You didn't have to take the blame for me," she said.

"A knight always puts his friends first," Chris said valiantly. "Besides, you have enough to deal with. You're still copping with loosing Ruby." Serenity sighed, she couldn't think of any arguments to give. So instead, she threw her arms around him, giving him that big, grateful hug. She was careful of his broken arm. Chris hugged her back, with his one good arm. They stayed there for a few minuets.

"I'm sorry Chris," she said, drawing back. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"It's okay," Chris assured her. "I totally rode that geyser, and survived." Serenity decided to change the subject.

"So your parents are taking us out of the country," she said. "Once you're better."

"Yeah," said Chris. "I've never seen the outside of the country. I wonder where we'll go first."

"I've seen the outside," said Serenity sadly. "It doesn't hold anything for me." At that moment Re came in.

"Serenity, it's time to head back to the castle," he said. Both kids looked at each other sadly.

"I don't want her to go," Chris protested.

"You're still being punished," Re said boldly. "You two won't see each other for a while."

"How long exactly?" asked Serenity.

"Vitamin said six weeks," said Re. Serenity turned to Chris and hugged him one more time.

"Thank you," she said, quietly. She then got off the bed and followed the Dragon King back outside.

Chris stayed in his room at the castle for the duration of his recovery. Re and Aurora had forbidden Serenity from keeping him company. Both kids felt like they deserved it, and didn't put up much of a protest. Serenity stayed in her room most of the time, and refused to come out. When the dragons asked why, she said she didn't find it fair that she could wonder free about the castle and Chris couldn't. The dragons checked on them every half an hour.

At night Serenity would sneak out of her room and up to Chris's room. They would sit and talk for hours. As long as they didn't turn any lights on, the dragons need never know they were breaking the rules. But when the dawn came, Serenity would hurry back to her room before the dragons woke up. It made the whole thing bearable, and it took Serenity's mind off Ruby for the time being.

Seven weeks later, Chris, and their dragons gathered in the entrance, to head out on their trip. Chris's arm and head had healed up all the way. The two kids were happy to see each other again. Serenity had finally gotten around to telling the others about her decision to be a Dragon Healer they were very excited.

"You're going to make a lot of friends doing that," said Re.

"I want to do it for Ruby," said Serenity. "He was always there for me and I wasn't able to be there for him." At that moment Draco joined them, all saddled up.

"Wow, Draco's your new riding dragon?" Chris asked, surprised.

"He's not my riding dragon," said Serenity. "I'm just riding him until I get Ruby back. You can ride with me if you want, I don't want you to feel jealous." They both got on Draco's back and all the dragons went outside. They spread their wings and took off. They headed northwest over the ocean. They flew in formation with Re at the front.

"So where are we going first?" Chis asked.

"We're going to the town Serenity used to live in," Re said. "Perhaps they came to their senses."

"I don't want to go back there," said Serenity. "They beat me with a shovel."

"Maybe they're sorry," said Aurora. "Maybe they want you back."

"But if they want me back then I won't see you guys again," Serenity said.

"Ah, I'm sure we can work something out," said Re. They picked up the pace and soon lost sight of Draconia.

They soared over the ocean. Chris and Serenity looked out for wildlife. They saw many sea birds. They stayed clear of the dragons to avoid getting eaten. Then, down in the water, a huge shadow swam beneath the dragons and birds. The birds all flew away in fear of this thing. Then a large, black fin emerged from the water.

"What's that?" Serenity asked, scared.

"That's Shark," said Chris. "She's the oldest and most dangerous dragon on Earth. Like Mom and Draco, she has the gift of magic. She's also one of the only dragons that are all black like Uncle Tenor."

"What kind of dragon is she?" Serenity asked.

"She's a Whale Dragon," said Chris. "It looks like a cross between a plesiosaur and a whale. They live in the ocean and in freshwater lakes and rivers." They looked back down at Shark as she came up for air. The dragon was massive, twice the size of a Blue Whale.

"Is she going to hurt us?" asked Serenity.

"She normally has no problem killing humans," Chris said. "But since we're with Draco and the Draconian King and Queen, she won't harm us." Shark blew her spout then went back under, with a wave of her massive, black, whale's tail. The three royal dragons flew high above the clouds and picked up the speed.

An hour later they were flying over the human world. They flew over mountains and villages. The people of the villages looked up when the dragons passed. Then they homed in on one of the villages. Serenity recognized it as the town near her old house. She gripped the saddle. The dragons flew low over the village then looked for a place to land in the woods. They landed next to the lake near Serenity old house. The two kids got off Draco's back.

"How about you go say hi to your parents while we set up camp," said Draco.

"Will they be happy to see me?" Serenity asked.

"My magic only works on dragons," said Draco. "So I can't tell. You will have to see for yourself." Serenity looked nervous. She turned and headed for her house. Chris started to follow but Aurora stopped him.

"She should do this alone," said the Queen. "She'll call us if she needs help." Chris reluctantly turned and helped set up camp.

Serenity walked through the woods. She somehow knew the way by heart. She soon came to the clearing where the house stood. She peeked out from behind the tree at the house. She saw her old family doing their daily chores. The two sisters were learning to ride side saddle, Thomas was grooming his horse, and the mother and father were weeding the garden. Serenity stepped out into the open and approached them cautiously. When the family saw her they stopped what they were doing. The father looked like a volcano about to blow, he gripped the handle of the shovel he was using to uproot the weeds.

"What are you doing here?" he shouted. "I thought I got rid of you years ago."

"I thought maybe you changed your mind," Serenity said. The father growled.

"Well we didn't," shouted the mother. "Thomas seize her." Thomas dropped his curry comb and ran up to her. Serenity tried to run but he caught up to her and pinned her down. He placed a hand over her mouth so she couldn't call for her dragons. Thomas dragged her over to his parents and threw her to their feet. The father grabbed her by the hair.

"Maybe you need one more reminder," he hissed. He let her go so he could get the shovel ready.

"If we see you again after this, we will kill you," he said. Then he swung the shovel into her head, hard and fast. She fell to the ground unconscious.

"Get her out of here," the father ordered. Thomas grabbed Serenity by both the legs and dragged her to the edge of the forest. He threw her into the shrubs then when back to his horse.

Chris and the dragons went to look for Serenity when she didn't come back. Chris got on Re's saddle and they went through the trees. Draco and Aurora searched from the air.

"Serenity?" Chris called. "Where are you?" Re broke into a trot as they neared the clearing where the house was. The sun was setting fast, and they wanted to find her before they couldn't see anything. Suddenly Re stepped on something that wasn't fallen branches. He looked down and saw Serenity laying on the ground unconscious. Her face was bruised, broken, and bleeding.

"Serenity?" Re said shocked. Chris got off and knelt beside her while Re sent up a fire signal. After a few minuets Aurora and Draco landed beside him. When they saw Serenity they gasped.

"What happened to her?" Aurora asked. Draco gently nudged her, careful not to touch her face.

"Is she alive?" Re asked. Draco nodded.

"Just barely," he said. "I would use my magic, but she's human and my magic won't work on her." Chris looked really upset.

"Is she going to die?" he asked.

"If we get her to a healer soon she'll be okay," said Draco.

"Maybe that town has one," Re said. "We should at least ask."

"We're dragons," said Aurora. "They might try to kill us."

"We have to try," said Re. "If we want to save her." He looked down at Serenity.

"I want to come," Chris said. "Maybe they won't be as hostile if they see me." Re and Aurora looked at each other. Then they looked down at Serenity, she stayed were she was.

"Okay," said Re. "Chris and I will go, you two stay here in case she wakes up." Aurora and Draco nodded. They laid down on either side of Serenity. Chris got back on Re and they took off. They flew over the house, and headed for the village. They flew towards the town square. The people looked up as the dragon flew over and landed in the middle of their town.

"Please, we need your help," Chris said. "My friend is unconscious and she'll die if she doesn't get help." An old man came up to them. He carried a staff and walked upright.

"I am the leader of this village," he said. "Why should we help a dragon?"

"She's not a dragon," said Chris. "She's a human girl, and she's my only human friend." Just then a woman came up beside the man.

"Where is she?" she asked. "I'm the healer."

"Wait, that's a dragon standing there," the man said.

"Oh, he's not hurting anyone," the woman said. "I'm sure we can see past the evil of dragons this once. Three dragons have flown over our village in the past and not one of them caused any trouble." The man sighed. The woman turned to Chris.

"Can you bring me to your friend?" she asked. Re knelt down and the woman got on his back behind Chris. Re got to his feet.

"Hold on tight," Chris said. Re spread his wings and took off. He flew back to where the others were. Serenity was still unconscious. Re knelt down again and the woman got off. Aurora and Draco watched her carefully.

"She's here to help," Re said. The woman knelt beside Serenity and examined her.

"Did you see what happened?" she asked.

"No, we found her like this," said Aurora. "We sent her to see her family who live in that house in that clearing, but then she didn't come back and we came to look for her."

"Oh, poor thing," the woman said. "I didn't know that family had four children, they always said they have three."

"She was the outcast," said Re. "They kicked her out when she was five, I guess they still don't want her."

"Well, we should get her back to our village," the woman said. "She's failing fast." She gently picked Serenity up and Draco knelt down. The woman put Serenity onto his saddle. Draco got to his feet.

"You know, you dragons are really fine creatures," the woman said, as she got back on Re behind Chris. "In fact I can see your kind being very useful for our village and maybe others." The dragons took off and headed for the village.

"Unfortunately we have our own lands to return to," Re said. "We can't live in your village."

"You have your own country?" the woman asked. "Well, then maybe you can ask your ruler to send a few dragons to our village."

"Or you can ask me yourself," Re said. "And I don't see any harm in sending a few."

"Great, you can negotiate with my husband while I patch up your friend," the woman said. The dragons landed in the town square. Re knelt down and Chris and the woman dismounted. The town leader came up to them.

"You are not welcome here," he said pointing at the three dragons. "Your kind is full of nothing but trickery."

"Come on David," said the woman. "They just want this girl to be okay." David turned his attention to Draco's back where Serenity still lay.

"What's wrong with her?" he barked.

"She got hit with something," said the woman. "And if I don't help her she'll die. And maybe these dragons can help around the village while she's healing."

"We don't need dragons," David snapped. "What can they ofer us?"

"A lot of things," said Aurora. "Protection, friendship, and..." She reached into a pocket in her saddle and pulled out a huge bag of gold coins. She thew it to David and he caught it. He opened up the back and saw the gold.

"There's plenty more where that came from," said Aurora. "If you had dragons on your side you could save hundreds of lives." Hearing this the towns people began whispering among themselves. Chris went over to Draco to check on Serenity. She still hadn't moved.

"Careful, her face is badly damaged," the woman warned. "Come, we should bring her inside." Draco knelt down and the woman gently picked Serenity up. Chris followed her into a large house. David turned to the dragons.

"You have until the girl is healed," he said. "Then you must go."

"That's all we want," Re said. David handed the bag of gold back.

"Keep it," said Aurora. "We value our friends and family, not gold."

"Fine," said David. He put the bag in his pocket. The three dragons flew to the top of the house where Serenity was taken. They sat there to wait.

The next day the dragons helped around the village while the healer attended to Serenity's face. Chris stayed near her to keep her company in the strange house. The village grew used to their guests and didn't mind that three of them were dragons. Even David grew to like having them around. The three of them gathered at the well to take a short break.

"One of us should check on Serenity," Draco said. "My animal instincts tell me she'll wake up soon."

"I'll go," said Aurora. "Father, would it be a good idea to send dragons to this village and have more dragon riders?"

"It's a great idea," Draco said. "As long as those humans never find out where Draconia actually is, that will lead to disaster. They have to be brought to the country by a dragon like Serenity and Chris were." Aurora nodded. Then she spread her wings and flew towards where the two children were. Draco turned to Re.

"Let's get these negotiations out of the way," he said. "Then we can be on our way."

"I guess Serenity's all ours," Re said as they looked for David. "Her family made it quite clear they don't want her."

"Poor child," Draco said. "I wonder what she was hit with." At that moment they located David.

"David," Re called. "It sounds like you and your village want to have dragons in your village, and I can send a few when I get back to Draconia."

"Yes, but if we're going to have dragons here they better behave themselves," David said.

"My dragons will behave themselves, if the humans will too," said Re. "Your humans are welcome to visit my country as long as they come on the back of a dragon."

"Deal," David said. "I reckon if two eight year old children can learn to ride dragons, than anyone can do it." Re smiled.

"I will send them as soon as Serenity is home safe and on the mend," he said. At that moment Aurora came up to them.

"Serenity's awake," she said. "But she's in a lot of pain." Re and Draco turned to David.

"Excuse us," Re said. The three dragons went back to the house and the healer let them in. They saw Serenity laying on a bed, her face covered in bandages. She looked over at the dragons as they came in.

"What happened?" Re asked.

"My father hit me in the head with a shovel again," Serenity said. "And he said if I go back there again he'll kill me."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Serenity," said Re. "I guess that didn't turn out the way I had expected."

"How do you feel?" Aurora asked.

"My face hurts," Serenity said. "It hurts to move it."

"Would you like to go home?" Aurora asked. Serenity nodded.

"We haven't been traveling very much," she said.

"That's okay," said Re. "There will be more trips in the future."

"Why would that nice family hit this poor girl with a shovel?" the healer asked.

"This is actually the second time they did that," said Draco. "The first time she was only five years old."

"Don't you worry we'll make them pay for this," said the healer. "Child abuse is banned in this village."

"Thank you," said Aurora. "Do you think you can ride Serenity?"

"Yes," Serenity said. She slowly got up with some help from Draco. They went outside.

"But, there is some good news," said Aurora.

"What?" asked Serenity.

"We're sending a few dragons to this village and there will be more dragon riders in the future," said Aurora.

"Really?" said Serenity as Draco helped her onto his back.

"Yup," said Re. "Shortly after you're fully recovered."

"So we won't be the only humans on riding dragons anymore?" Chris asked as he got on Re.

"That's right," said Aurora. "You two will be able to show people how fun it is to be a dragon rider."

"Will they live in the castle?" asked Chris.

"No, they will live in their own villages," said Re. "I will create for them an outpost on one of our volcanic islands, where the riders who visit can spend the night and resupply."

"We look forward to having dragons in our lives," said the healer. "And if it's not to much, we would like to share this with the other villages."

"Please do," Re said. "We want the world to know that dragons are no different from other animals." The healer smiled.

"I hope you get well Serenity," she said. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

"Thank you," Serenity said, she acted like it hurt her to talk. The dragons took off and headed for home.