Chapter 12: Day 14
A day off.
Those words tasted like sweet salmon and the freshest of coconut juice. Although much as she would like to relax, her concern for her grandfather spurred her towards the direction of the Deep Palace. Towards the garden of wounded.
Deep Palace was still the familiar place she knew after spending close about a week at the Summer Palace. Its dull wall and gloomy dim lights welcomed her as she swam into its canyon. She had already missed the Summer Palace. Its vibrate colour and energetic atmosphere had given her a breath of new life compare to that of the Deep Palace. However, one could not discount the security that the Deep Palace has to offer. Even it was rather dull and gloomy in the canyon.
As she swam by, she found herself approaching towards the edge of the garden of wounded. Impossible. Could she had missed it? She turned around and saw the bed that was unmistakably once her grandfather's bed was empty.
"Where is he? My grandfather?" She frantically grabbed a nearby healer's shoulder. "His name is Bony. Jade green scales. Horn-"
The healer interrupted her by pointed up and away behind her. Couple of dragon wingspans away, there he sat. On top of a huge rock boulder, gazing far away towards fields of coral around the Deep Palace with a sad demeanour.
She gave a quick apology to the healer, but before she could swim towards him, the healer held her back.
"You're his granddaughter, right? I should inform you that he hasn't been eating well these past few days."
Rainbow looked into the healer's eyes. Her heart gave a squeezed as she prepared for the next sentence.
"I'm afraid his health hasn't gone better."
Rainbow looked back at the boulder. As though cued, her grandfather gave a few coughs before he was held his talon and pant heavily.
Rainbow gave her thanks and the healer excused herself back to her patient. Rainbow took a deep breath. Managed a smile and swam towards the rock boulder.
"Rainbow!" Her grandfather pointed a claw into the corals. "Look what I see? Something rare. I spy some long tentacles, grey and bloom like a flower."
"Grandpa. They all have long tentacles and grey. You got to be more specific for me to guess. I'm not that smart, brilliant or genius." She replied.
"Tsk. Wrong answer." He coughed and wheezed before saying. "It's a Flower Pot coral. And you would think that mother nature bred living things to be hardened veterans. But no. This one is a sensitive fellow. Many gardeners tried to gather these coral and transfer them to a new location. But often dies after a few moons later. Such fragile creature. I can't understand how they to even stay alive. Let alone in the wild."
"Trust you to know your coral, grandpa."
She giggled and settled besides him. Except for the few coughs, he seems to be ever energetic as ever. Humming to himself. Tapping his claw to the rhythm of the sea current.
"Grandpa, how are you?"
The tapping stopped.
"No use swimming around the issue, isn't it?" He tried to give a sigh, but it came out a cough of water instead. "And no use hiding it either." Another sigh. "Rainbow. I'm afraid that not even the healer from the Summer Palace can help. They are clueless too."
Yes. By the message from the healers, she had gathered as much.
"Maybe we should start looking in other tribes. Like the SandWings, IceWings or even the mythical NightWings."
"Maybe. But the world is against us now. We have no alliance. No trade route. They will kill us on sight. No one but ourselves can help us." He flashed.
Light at the end of the tunnel was fading away. No. She cannot. She must not let herself fell into the trench of hopelessness.
"Talons of Power." She flashed in excitement. "The ceremony is just less than a week later. If an animus dragon is discovered there, I can ask them for help! They say animus dragon can do anything. I'm sure making you healthy is the least of the problem. So promise me." Rainbow grabbed his talons into hers. "Promise me you would live until then."
Her grandfather looked into her eyes for a moment before saying.
"Yes. I promised. However, I must say I'm not keeping a good record of keeping promises." He said.
"Don't jinx it." She gave him a slap on the side of his talon and he smirked at her.
The sea surface's gentle motion of waves allowed the lights seeped into the canyon. SeaWings swimming in and out of the caves' holes. Dragonets playing around the green—white coral reef along the side of canyon and seafloors. Flashing one and another while they chased each other to no end.
She takes the moment in while her eyes tried to search for that particular coral her grandfather had mentioned before.
"That's reminds me." Her grandfather said. "I did promise to tell you about the story behind the coral garden. Have any time to spare?"
Rainbow nodded and crossed her talon.
"That's right. Settled yourself because it's going to be long one." Her grandfather chuckled. "So the Rainbow Coral garden, not only it had become a great wonder in the kingdom of the sea. It was also the main reason why I had become a gardener."
"A few decades ago, a noble SeaWing, named Lazuli, lived in the Deep Palace. She was the greatest gardener of all time. So great that gardeners from all over the sea came to seek her advices. Mostly on how to cultivate and propagate many of the rare coral species. Kind and generous of her, she shared many of her knowledge to others. Without asking any fees or favour in return."
"However, other nobles were not too please with it. They believed that gardening was a peasant's job. A nobles should be busy themselves in more pressing matters. Making trades, diplomacy meeting with other tribes, supporting the Queen's vision with their means. Gardening was in fact only seen as the hobby that one should entertain themselves in leisure times. Not wallowed in sands and stones."
"Nobles are always so full of themselves." Rainbow said.
"True for many of them. Fools seldom differ. But there is always that one exception to the rule." Her grandfather said. "Lazuli was the one. She was diligent on working with the corals and love them with all her heart. After many years of researching, she was finally confident with her findings. With joy and excitement, she presented her result to the queen. Can you guess what it was?"
"That the corals was important to the kingdom?" She said.
"Right on the mark, but there is more to it. She said that of many reasons the Kingdom of the Sea was able to thrive here, one of the main reasons was because of the coral reefs. The ones sitting above and around the canyon. They are the foundation of the whole ecosystem. Without them, the kingdom could never able to sustain itself with that much of its dragons. And without its dragons, the Deep Palace couldn't never be as prosper as it is today."
"I know that look. Yes. Those are the same look the nobles and councils gave when they first heard the same news. The first of them broke off laughing, then others joined in. Many of them ridiculed the idea. Some even call it a scam."
"Then she did the unimaginable. She challenged everyone in the room that she could make the Deep Palace achieved even greater prosperity and wealth. To the likes of none had ever seen before. A place with abundance of food and beauty for every dragon in the kingdom. No more starvation. No more poverty."
"She made the Rainbow Garden?" Rainbow said.
"She made it. She set herself out to make not just any garden. But the most beautiful coral garden that anyone could have imagined. After a decade of hard work, the garden had finally grown into its greatest form. The Rainbow Garden."
Rainbow could still see the gracious form of the garden. The colours perfectly aligned to form a gradient of aesthetics that one couldn't even imagine without seeing it once. Lazuli was, in fact, not only an amazing scientist, but was also a great artist of her time. No doubt about that.
"I once had the privilege of taking care of it you know. But that was a long time ago since I passed that reign to another trusty gardener." He gave a long sigh. Few coughs in between. "Then again, I wasn't living near the Deep Palace any more so it was bound to happened."
"You once lived here?" Rainbow surprised.
"Haven't I told you about it? Yes. I worked there as a gardener. Not too shabby if I dare say myself." He said.
"The all great and noble, Grandpa Bony." Rainbow teased.
"Surprisingly not far from the truth. Minus the great." He grinned. Then he asked. "So how was your job with Prince Turtle?"
"It's… complicated." Rainbow replied.
Between having to defy the eldest prince's order and keeping Prince Turtle sane. It was definitely more than just complicated.
"Prince Hammerhead had implied that my care-taking was a little more than necessary." She continued.
"Basically, you got caught doing the right thing. Hm… I'm not sure if it was wise to continue looking after him."
"Grandpa! You wouldn't suggest that I abandon him!"
"No, I wouldn't but your safety is of my concern too." He lowered his head and flashed. "Perhaps its best that you restrained yourself with the little prince. Not too close. Or just do what the eldest prince said."
"I can't just leave him like that. He needs someone." The glimpse of his dead pan eyes flashed in her mind. "He needs me."
Her grandfather look her in the eyes. Took a deep breath and flashed.
"I wouldn't stop you. But I do hope you know what you're doing." He paused before continued. "On another topic, guess who visited me?"
"Tidal? The head servant?" Rainbow said.
"Even better. One of the princes actually came and 'looked after' me." He flashed his eyebrows. "I guess what goes around, comes around."
So that was where Prince Turtle went yesterday. After a disappointing search for answer, He came here! Of all places!
"How was he? Did he ask you anything? What did he do?" Rainbow asked.
"Whoa. Slow down the questions, little dolphin. I'll get to it." He flashed. "I must say he's indeed an interesting fellow. Asked some thought-provoking questions. A few discussions here and there. But the way he patiently listened to my stories and explanation. That sort of mastery at such a young age is truly remarkable."
"You must mean Prince Turtle. And he's probably just nervous, grandpa." She said.
"So he is the lucky prince eh? Good little dragonet. Kind of wish you had a little brother like him, doesn't it?"
"I had a brother, Grandpa! Elder one but still a brother." She said in annoyance. "Besides, you haven't told me what he asked."
"Oh. You know, your typical 'coming of age' questions. 'I'm I good enough', 'How can I be so sure about the future', 'Life and death'… those sorts of stuff. Although, he seemed to much more putting much more emphasis of confidence though."
"Confidence? Like what?"
"Like 'How not to disappoint other dragon', 'How to be a hero', 'How to know what the right thing to do'."
Rainbow expected him to give some answers right there, but he didn't say anything. Not even after a long pause.
"I'm sorry but not even I have those answers." And he chuckled. "And I'm already a disappointment to you." Rainbow wanted to shake her head but he continued. "I would be none the wiser to say that I have all the answer to life. Especially when every dragons' life is a different from another. However, I do have an advice."
He leaned towards her and showed her his talons. He cupped them both together from the sides, each talon made up of semi-circle, forming a ball. Like clapping your talons together but hallow inside.
Then, five scales flashed from top to bottom. Head, neck, chest, leg and tail.
Water. The flashes mean water.
Then, he cupped his talons again. This time, from top to bottom. The claws from the opposite sides touches the opposite end of the palm. Forming another ball and flashing the same pattern on his scales.
And, again, cupping his talon but this time, his talons were like shaking talons by yourselves but hallow out in the middle. Forming another ball and then another series of the same flashes.
"Am I supposed to understood something by all that?" Rainbow said.
"Not by first time. No." Her grandfather settled himself back by the ledge. "But I wouldn't want to spoil the surprises. I taught the same lesson to your little prince. With a sharp mind like yours, I'm sure if he told you what I had told him, you would understand."
"Fine. Keep your dirty little secret grandpa." She teased before adding. "And he's not mine."
"I'm sure that wouldn't stay secret long. But I do intend to let you know this."
Then he began with his both his talons together again. This time, placing his thumb and index claw together while his other claw fanned out straight, forming an 'OK' sign. Both of his talons cupped together where his pinky claw met each other. Then, separate them sideways and drew a circle vertically. Ending with both talons met at the top of the circle. With his thumb and index claw met.
"I wouldn't toy you with another riddle. It's a sign language. I learnt this from a friend of mine. An old war veteran. He was blown deaf by the exploding cactus during a battle. And he had to content himself to learning sign language to speak." He said. "And the sign? It meant family."
Family. Rainbow thought. How fitting. Two claws form an 'O' could mean the parent. And the fanned out claws must be the children. The circle could represent union and harmony. Like a family at dinner. Sitting around a table to have a feast.
Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't remember when her family last had ate together. Never mind a feast. Ever since they had been out searching for a cure, her family had been so divided. Both in places and opinions.
"Rainbow? What's the matter?"
"Nothing, grandpa." She managed a grin. "It just… I kind of missed the good old days."
She turned and found that her grandfather, once again, staring into the far-reaching view of the canyon. Only this time, he did it with a smile.
Author note:
For reference on Grandpa Bony mention about the hand sign for family. See youtube, family ASL hand sign - watch?v=XUg1eKl65p4