"Morning"
Running up the steps to the innermost sanctum of the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary, Lileina hoped she wasn't too late. She wasn't usually so absentminded, especially about things as important as this event, but she had been so involved in talking to Valtier that she forgot to watch the sun. How could she forget something like this? It was only one of the most important…
"Lileina!" A voice called out to her, and she turned quickly, straightening her robes with her hands as she hurried towards the woman who had spoken to her.
"Sorian! I'm not too late am I?" Seeing all the mikos in the hall, Lileina was terrified that she had missed the ceremony completely and was walking up to her friends after they had already finished. She tried to slow her breathing as she walked around the corner where about twelve mikos were standing around in their white and lavender robes. Actually, with her absence, there were only eleven until she walked around the corner. As soon as the girls saw her, their faces lit up and they came toward her. Sorian hugged her sister miko tightly as she smiled.
"No, of course not. But we were certainly worried about you. Where have you been all morning?" Sorian was a little taller than Lileina, with short blonde hair and violet eyes, and was Lileina's best friend in the sanctuary. They both lived in the expansive hall where many of the elders resided, along with some of the other mikos. Suddenly surrounded by her friends, Lileina smiled.
"I was in Karal again." Readying herself for the admonitions she was sure were about to come from her fellow mikos, Lileina closed her eyes. Everyone seemed to think she was odd for spending so much time with humans, but they usually tolerated it with only a few friendly jokes. Today, though, they only gave her a rather sad group look, and she looked around to find Sorian smiling secretively. "What?"
"A certain someone was looking for you again. Someone named Drassi. I think he said he has something he wants to ask you." Raising an eyebrow at Lileina, Sorian smiled. "How many years has he been after you now?"
"More than I care to think about." Looking as if she were going to be ill in the sacred fountain, Lileina held a hand up to her friend to stifle her counting.
"I know just how much you love him."
"Yes, like a spider in my boot I love him." Straightening her robes again, she tried to remove the distasteful picture of Drassi from her head. "I could care less what he wants to ask me."
"Only the same thing he asks you every time he catches you for more than five minutes. Although I don't see how he could think that you would…" Sorian was interrupted by a gong sounding, and she looked up as the doors to the inner sanctuary opened before them. In the hall before the mikos was a huge golden likeness of the Fire Dragon Lord, and they lined up in their pre-determined order, led by Lileina.
Proudly, she led the other mikos into the inner sanctuary and to the sacred fountain, where each girl in turn took a golden dipper and filled it with water, which they carried carefully over to the statue and poured it over the base. Then, one by one, they knelt in a circle around the Fire Dragon Lord's statue and closed their eyes in prayer. This was the ritual known to the mikos as the cleansing ceremony, in which they symbolically washed the statue of their god and purified their hearts. Each moon, the mikos prayed for the safety of the Gold Dragons, and for temperance in their lives. Lileina had been honored to lead the ceremony by the chief elder, and she had been so excited for weeks. So, as she knelt before the statue, she wondered why her mind was a million miles away.
Although she was supposed to be praying at the moment, Lileina couldn't help groaning to herself about Drassi. Why was he always looking for her? He always seemed to find her at the worst times, but considering that any time she spent with him fell under her definition of awful, she wasn't surprised. Ever since she was smaller, Drassi had been after her, but it was only lately that he was becoming so irritatingly straightforward about it. The nerve of him telling Sorian that he had something 'important' to ask her…and Lileina could just guess what that something important was. Just what she needed.
Drassi was the highest ranking soldier in the guard of the Gold Dragons and had a certain arrogance about him that he felt his position afforded him. Somewhere, he had also picked up the idea that he could have any dragon he wanted for his mate…unfortunately for Lileina, this idea of his included her as his mate. Lileina had tried to give him subtle hints that she wanted nothing to do with his plan, but either Drassi hadn't gotten them or was ignoring them.
So she had begun praying to the Fire Dragon Lord nearly every day for assistance in dealing with Drassi, then taking off to Karal every day for even longer than she had been in the previous months. She knew running away from her problems wasn't going to solve them any faster, but just thinking about Drassi's intentions gave her a headache. And much to her disappointment, the Fire Dragon Lord hadn't given her so much as an earthworm of a sign that he was even listening to her prayers. Wanting in her heart to believe that he was, but feeling somehow that he wasn't, Lileina continued to pray.
Please…just one little sign. Great Fire Dragon Lord, please give me some sign that you're listening to my prayers…I've always done my duty for you, even when I had my doubts, so can't you just help me this once? Even a tiny sign would be…just…
Without warning, in her mind an image of Valtier appeared. He was smiling, just like he always seemed to be, and Lileina felt her cheeks get hot. Why had she suddenly thought of him? It had surprised her so much that she had almost opened her eyes, but luckily she had managed to control herself. Surely, he wasn't meant to be her sign…was he? The Fire Dragon Lord wouldn't send her a human to try and ease her problems. And besides, they had just met. Yet…she did look forward to seeing him again…and he made her heart beat so fast…
Shaking her head, Lileina thought about how ridiculous she sounded. And it was time for her to lead the mikos out of the temple. She stood up and looked at the huge idol for a moment, then sighed heavily before leading the girls out into the hall. So much for a sign from the Fire Dragon Lord.
* * *
Leaning on the wall of the great Dome, Valtier flipped through the pages of the leather-bound book Lileina had dropped when she returned to wherever she came from. It was written entirely in Kory'nn, a language that had died out centuries earlier. Once again, he couldn't help wondering just what Lileina was doing with such an ancient book. She seemed like a normal human, and as far as he knew there weren't any humans who could read Kory'nn at all. Surely, she wasn't able to actually read it…
Looking back at the Dome, he wondered why the elders were meeting again that evening when they had met the day before. What were they talking about in there? He wished he could hear through the thick walls, but all he could make out was a murmuring from deep within the heart of the structure. It was beginning to get dark in the City of Ancients, and it seemed as if the only ones left were himself and the elders. The mikos hadn't been invited to listen in on this private council meeting, and this led Valtier to believe that perhaps something was going on. Something that could possibly be serious.
By and by, his thoughts returned to Lileina and her book. He wondered what she was doing, and if she was missing the book at all. Now if only he could think of a good way to ask her about it.
* * *
As she led the mikos out of the sanctuary, Lileina thought about how nice it would be to relax near the great fountain and read her new book. But then again, she thought, if Drassi was out looking for her, maybe it would be safer to read in her room. While she was trying to weigh the risks of sitting by the fountain, Sorian grabbed her shoulder, startling her a little.
"Are you hungry, Lileina?"
"Yes, very. I'm glad they always fix us a nice big dinner after the ceremonies." Together they walked to the huge dining hall that was in the sanctuary and sat on the side of the table that was reserved for the group of mikos who had just completed what was referred to by the elders as one of the most important rituals for the Gold Dragons' safety. The food had not yet been brought out, but there were full glasses of wine waiting at the place of each miko, and Sorian picked hers up.
"You were wonderful, Lileina. I'm sure we will have a good moon this time." She sipped a little of her wine as she smiled at Lileina.
"I really didn't do that much," she replied, blushing a little as she remembered just how little praying she had actually done, not to mention that she had been thinking about Valtier during the ceremony.
"That's for sure," a snide voice murmured at the other end of the table, and Sorian sent an icy look down to the voice's owner, a miko named Rinoa who was giving Lileina a dagger-filled look. Ignoring her, Lileina continued to chat with Sorian about various things that were not miko-related. Rinoa had always disliked Lileina, even when they were younger, because the elders had favored the little girl they were raising. In an attempt to win their attention Rinoa had become a miko, not realizing that Lileina had been trained to be a miko since she was a tiny dragon. Since then, Rinoa had been throwing an ongoing tantrum whenever she wanted something that Lileina had gotten, and she had wanted to be the one who led the cleansing ceremony. Of course, there was also the fact that Rinoa had a huge crush on someone Lileina wished would maintain a distance of at least 500 meters from her general vicinity.
"Don't look now, but he's here." Sorian noticed Drassi first as he walked into the dining room, and Lileina weighed the pros and cons of ducking under the table as she grimaced at her friend. Although Rinoa stood up to greet him, Drassi walked directly over to Lileina and smiled in his arrogant way.
"Good day, Lileina. I thought I might find you here. I trust the cleansing ceremony went well?" He lifted her hand from the table and kissed it, making Lileina's stomach turn over. It never failed. Whenever he got too close to her, she began to feel so…queasy. Pulling her hand away, Lileina tried to surreptitiously wipe it on her robe.
"Good day to you too, Drassi." She spoke curtly to him, looking away and thinking of her book as she did. Still smiling, he sat across from her at the table as the food was brought out to them. Lileina gave her friend a look that begged for help, but Sorian didn't know what she could do.
"You were nowhere to be found this morning, my lady. Don't tell me you were visiting those human villages again?" Drassi disliked humans for some reason, and the patronizing tone in his voice only made Lileina more annoyed with him. She fixed her eyes on him coldly.
"They are fine company, Drassi. And they do not constantly pester me for answers to questions I would rather not have asked of me." Her tone caused his smile to falter for a moment, and Lileina reached into her robe for her book, feeling quite satisfied with herself. At once, her stomach dropped as she realized that her book was not where she had left it. Feeling around the inside pocket of her robe where the book would have been after two transformations, she felt herself grow cold as she found that her beloved new book was gone. Frantically, she checked her other pockets. Seeing that she was off her guard, Drassi found his voice.
"Something the matter, my lady?"
"No…no, I just seem to be missing…something…" Closing her eyes, Lileina tried not to cry. Her beautiful new book…she would never find another like it. Had she lost it on the flight home? If so, it was definitely gone for good. But she was sure she had… Suddenly, she remembered. When she had jumped up in the forest, the book could have fallen from her dress and onto the ground. Maybe it was still laying there…maybe she could still find it…no, it was already growing dark. Lileina hoped that it would still be there the next day when she went to meet Valtier. Still annoyed at being spoken to so shortly, Drassi ran a hand through his shoulder-length blonde hair and took a glass of wine from his side of the table.
"You should keep a closer watch on your valuables, Lileina. Perhaps if you stopped spending so much time with humans, you wouldn't be so absentminded. You have more important duties as a miko anyhow."
"My duties and my time are my own business," Lileina snapped, finally deciding that she had taken enough of Drassi's attitude for that day. "And you can be assured that unless I lose my faculties completely, they will never be any of your concern." Turning to Sorian, she smiled. "So tell me, how fares your painting, Sorian?" Feeling a little better, Lileina chatted pleasantly with her friends as she tried her best to avoid Drassi's glances and Rinoa's piercing stare. In her mind, she sighed heavily. Why had her life suddenly become so difficult? In her entire life, she had not had so many problems as she had at that moment.
Still, somehow, knowing that the next day she would be able to see Valtier made her feel better. He certainly knew how to treat a lady properly. And her friends wondered why she was so much more fond of humans than some dragons.
* * *
"Great one…" An older man with white hair stood before the Chief Elder of the Ancient Dragons, his eyes looking very sad. "I'm afraid that the messengers from the Gold Dragons have once again requested that we turn the ancient weapon over to them."
"We cannot permit the thought to even enter our minds," the elder said, shaking his head. "Whether the Gold Dragons request or demand the weapon, it is the responsibility of the Ancients to protect it and keep it from the wrong hands. I fear they don't understand the full ramifications of their desire to control the weapon, that they only wish to use it to defeat those who would oppose them. For all the years we have possessed the weapon, the knowledge that we must never use it under any circumstances has accompanied it." Gazing at a glowing object that lay in a glass case at the end of the room, the elder closed his eyes. "It can only end in tragedy."
"The Ancients will never bow to the threat of any enemy, not even the Gold Dragons," the other elder said, shaking his head. "We will never allow them to possess the weapon, no matter what they may threaten. The Guard of the Ancients will protect it at any cost."
"Yes…" Bowing his head, the Chief Elder looked into his trembling hands. "At… any cost…" That was precisely what he was afraid of.
* * *
The next morning, Lileina arrived in the forest earlier than she had planned to look for her precious lost book. According to the sentries who stood watch at the end of town for bandits no one had been in the forest since the day before, so Lileina was sure that her book would still be there laying beside the pond and had hurried into the forest to search for it.
Now, on her hands and knees, she was unable to find it among the tall grass and rocks near the pond, and she was just about ready to cry. All morning, she had been excited because she was going to find her book and see Valtier, and all the problems of the day before had seemed so far away. But now…it seemed like everything was going wrong again and she tried to keep herself from bursting into tears so she wouldn't look too upset when she saw Valtier. Still, she missed her book terribly and couldn't help feeling rotten because of it. Sitting on the ground, she rubbed her eyes sadly as she wondered where her book could be.
"Lileina? Are you all right?" From behind her, she heard Valtier's voice and turned to see him standing nearby. He sounded slightly worried as he came towards her, and Lileina tried to smile, but failed miserably. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, Valtier…" Bowing her head, Lileina tried to mentally shake herself off. As she did, Valtier came over to help her up. Offering his hand, he smiled at her rather pleasantly. Taking his hand, Lileina couldn't help thinking how different he was from Drassi. If Drassi were ever to help her up, he would no doubt expect something in return. But by contrast, Valtier's strong grip desired nothing more than to help her stand up and make sure she was all right. "Thank you."
"What happened?"
"I…can't seem to find something. I…I had it yesterday, but I think I dropped it somewhere and now…I…" While she was trying to think of a way to explain that she was looking for an ancient book, Lileina continued to scan the ground with her eyes as Valtier reached into his jacket.
"Is this what you were looking for?" Smiling, he produced her book from within his clothes, and Lileina's face blossomed into a smile as she saw it.
"My book! Oh, thank you! I was so worried about it…" Her eyes sparkling in the sunlight, she pressed her hands to her chest as Valtier held the book out to her. Trying not to act too eager, Lileina took it gladly, her fingers brushing against his hand lightly. She held the book to her chest and smiled up at him again. "Thank you so much, Valtier."
"It's nothing, really. When you left in such a hurry yesterday, I found it on the ground and thought I would save it for you. I thought you might be missing it, but didn't know how to find you to give it back." He couldn't help smiling as he watched the gentle way she hugged the book to her chest for a moment before carefully tucking it into her sash and tightening it so that it was pressed firmly against her body. She was only making it more difficult to think of a way to ask about the book's contents, but as Lileina gave him one of her brightest smiles, he decided that his questions could wait a little longer. "It's good to see you again."
"Yes…I was looking forward to seeing you as well." Blushing a little as she thought about her sudden memory of him during the ceremony, Lileina hoped he hadn't looked in the book. It would be a little difficult to explain what she was doing with a book written in an ancient language if he had, but he didn't seem to be suspicious of her so she decided to leave the topic alone for the time being. "Shall we walk a little? Or are you hungry? Karal isn't too far away from here, we could go to a nice little restaurant or, if you're tired from your walk…"
"Nothing would please me more than a simple walk here in the forest with you, Lileina." Closing his eyes, Valtier bowed a little, his long ponytail falling almost to the forest floor. Lileina was glad that he couldn't see her at that moment, for her cheeks had turned a shade of pink not generally found in nature. He straightened up, and she somehow managed to compose herself before he looked at her again. "Shall we go?"
"I'd…I'd love to." Unused to such treatment, except maybe by the old men in the sanctuary, Lileina nodded somewhat shyly and walked beside him down a path she knew led deeper into the forest.
They walked alongside trees that seemed to stretch into the clouds, and every now and then, Valtier would smile at Lileina in a way that made her chest feel warm inside. Walking with him felt nice, as if they had known each other for years instead of just days, even though they weren't really talking at all.
"It certainly is beautiful out here," Valtier commented, looking up at the birds that were singing together in the trees. "I can see why you love it so."
"Mm. It's pure out here…the forest speaks to me when I sit here, among the trees and animals…" Out of the corner of her eye, Lileina thought she saw Valtier's eyes shift inquisitively towards her for a moment, and she laughed nervously. "I…I mean, that's what it feels like…when…I sit here…" The words tumbled uncertainly out of her mouth, and Valtier nodded.
"I can understand that," he said, thoughtfully. Looking at Lileina's peaceful face, a thousand questions popped into his mind, but as she brushed her bangs away from her face and the sun sparkled on the gems that crossed her forehead, all traces of his doubt melted away. She was truly beautiful, much more so than he had first thought when he first saw her, and he wanted to tell her. But Lileina wasn't like the mikos in the City of Ancients, and she wasn't a normal woman either. Just saying something like that out loud, out of nowhere seemed wrong. For her, it would have to be…
"Valtier?"
…special…
"Yes?" Snapping out of his daze, he looked over into her gentle eyes and suddenly forgot everything he ever knew about anything.
"Your hair. I was saying that it's very beautiful." Apparently, he had been out of the conversation for a little while and had missed some of what she had said. Lileina was motioning to his long hair, and Valtier smiled over at her as he shrugged.
"Thank you. I never really thought about it before, but thank you anyhow."
"Well…it's rather unusual is all. Most of the men in Karal keep their hair short, or to their shoulders. It must have taken ages for you to have grown it so long and healthy." Her eyes smiled at him, and Valtier laughed a little.
"Ages is right. But you've mentioned Karal twice now. Is that your home?"
"My home? No…but I visit Karal nearly every day on the way to this forest, so I have come to know the people rather well. And I feel so comfortable there, almost as much as I do here." Stopping by the side of the road, Lileina knelt down to smell a flower, the blue hem of her skirt brushing the ground. Looking a little confused, Valtier looked down at her.
"So, what about your home then?"
"My home?" Lileina repeated the words again, her voice sounding a little odd to her ears. Instantly, the arguing in council along with images of Drassi and Rinoa sprang into her mind, and Lileina shuddered a little to herself. "My home is…not so pleasant right now. Many days, I would much rather be here in the forest, where I feel peaceful and calm."
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to offend you. And I'm sorry to hear about your home," Valtier said, offering a hand to help her up. Once again she took it, glad to feel his warm grip around her fingers. His hands were strong, but so careful of the way he handled her. As he helped her up, he looked into her eyes and smiled warmly at her. "But I am glad that you chose this forest to come to. I enjoy your company."
"Valtier…you hardly know me." Blushing, Lileina gently disengaged her hands from his and looked away.
"I know enough to say that I enjoy walking with you, and seeing you smile at flowers, and that I wouldn't mind knowing more about you." Valtier's aureate eyes gazed at her face in a way that made her heart thunder in her ears, and she felt a sudden chill despite the warmth of the day. Reading her face, Valtier frowned a little. "Is that really so terrible of me to say?"
"Perhaps…I…I don't know," Lileina stammered, pressing her hands together against her dress. "But really…really, you don't know anything about me…" Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire, and she looked down into her hands. How in the Four Worlds was she supposed to react to this? Reaching over to Lileina, Valtier lifted her chin up and looked at her with eyes that were completely serious.
"Lileina, I don't mean to offend or embarrass you. I only want you to know that I take great pleasure in coming here and seeing you, even if we've only just met. I hope you can forgive any sadness I've caused you." The touch of his hand on her chin was like a caress, and Lileina closed her eyes.
"No, no…you've said nothing cruel or out of place. I…enjoy being with you as well. Your voice is kind, and you say things to me that no one else has before." Opening her eyes, she looked up at him. Valtier was smiling once again, but in a different way from what she had grown used to seeing. Not as playful, this smile was somehow softer, as if he was realizing something about her that he liked a great deal. "Shall we walk a bit more before we must part for the evening?"
"It would be my privilege."
When the sun began to hang lower in the sky, Lileina and Valtier returned to the pond to say their farewells. Standing before one another, they both seemed to try and buy a moment more while they searched for the right way to say goodbye.
"It's getting late," Lileina said softly. "Are you sure you will be able to make it back to your home safely?"
"I'll be fine. Will you take care until we meet again?" The sun was slowly turning the sky red behind Valtier's back, and he looked long at Lileina, not wanting to leave her so soon. She nodded, smiling gently at him.
"Yes, I promise. When…I mean…will I see you again soon?" Not wanting to sound too eager, Lileina's smile became shy again as she realized she was already assuming that he was going to come to see her again. Valtier seemed to understand.
"When can we meet again?" Holding out a hand to her, he made it clear that he did intended to come whenever she asked him to, and Lileina wondered if it was terrible of her to want to be a little selfish. Carefully, she took his hand.
"Is tomorrow soon enough?"
"Not soon enough for me." Bringing her hand to his face, he gave her a gentle press of his lips on the back of her hand that made her heart flutter and colored her cheeks. Again, she couldn't help thinking for a moment about how different he was from Drassi, whose very touch made her skin crawl with disgust. "Would you like to meet in this place again?"
"No, let's meet in the field of flowers tomorrow. It's my favorite place in the forest…in the world…and I want to share it with you." Her face was shining brightly, and Valtier nodded at once as he released her hand.
"Very well. Until then," he said, turning and walking away into the trees. Waving one last time to Lileina, he disappeared and she pressed her hands to her chest tightly. With every step she watched him take away from her, she thought about just how far he probably had to go to get to his home, and how all she had to do was spread her wings and fly back to the sanctuary. How could she be so selfish?
She had almost been able to forget the chasm that stood between them as they walked through the forest together…and had almost fooled herself into believing that they could stay near one another forever. Now…these feelings inside her heart…too strong to ignore and too new to understand…what could she do?
Without warning, Lileina began to tremble uncontrollably. She dropped to her knees on the forest floor and pressed her fists into her thighs roughly as a tear ran down her cheek. Looking up at the emptiness between the trees that Valtier had left behind, she shook her head sadly.
"Valtier…forgive me…"
As he flew into the orange-streaked sky, Valtier cursed silently to himself. He had forgotten all about asking her about the book. Deciding it wasn't worth worrying about, he dipped his wings and turned on the wind to head for the City of Ancients. After all, he could always ask her the next day.
* * *
In her room late that night, Lileina curled up around the book Valtier had given back to her, pressing her nose to it and crying as she did. Her white nightgown hid her tiny feet in its folds, and she pulled herself further into the sheets and gown as if she were trying to weave a cocoon for herself. The book smelled…like Valtier… He had kept it close to his heart, and his scent had overtaken hers in the leather of its cover. The more she thought about him, the more her chest ached, and the more she cried. Tears seemed to well up and flow from a place she thought had been exhausted, leaving her feeling as if she was wringing them out of herself.
Lileina couldn't deny her feelings anymore, not now. It didn't seem to matter that they had only met days before, or that Valtier wasn't even the same species as she, only that being near him made her feel happy, purely happy. She didn't know how long it had been since she felt so…
Pressing her face into her fluffy pillow, Lileina's tears began afresh as she thought about how hard she had prayed for someone like Valtier to come to her. How could the Fire Dragon Lord be so cruel? How could she be so close to someone she cared so much for and not be able to tell him her feelings, much less tell him that she was a dragon? Why, why did he have to be a human?
A knock on Lileina's door brought her face out of the pillow, and she tried to clear her throat. She would have to think of a way to explain why she was crying to whoever was at the door, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she shoved the leather-bound book under her pillow.
"Come in?"
"It's only me," Sorian said as she walked into the room, looking worried. "I heard you crying, dear. Is something the matter?" Her room was right next door to Lileina's, and if there was something wrong in one's room, the other often knew about it before anyone else. Sitting on the edge of the bed beside her friend, Sorian smiled gently. "You can tell me, you know."
"It's my heart, Sorian. It aches…so badly." Although she wanted to, Lileina knew she couldn't tell Sorian the whole story. Still, her friend wanted to help, and she ran a hand over Lileina's hair.
"Is this about Drassi? If he bothers you this much, tell him to go to hell. You shouldn't be crying like this, it's not good for you." It was unlike Sorian to curse, and Lileina sat up suddenly.
"So…rian…"
"Please, that jerk isn't worth this much worry."
"It's…it's not Drassi." Biting her lip, Lileina looked up at her sister miko. Sorian's lilac-hued eyes were kind, searching for a way to help, and Lileina decided to trust her. After all, it was Sorian who she first told that she was visiting the human villages. "It is another. I want so badly for him to know my feelings for him, but there is such a…a gap between us."
"You care deeply for him?" Brushing stray hairs from Lileina's face, Sorian watched her nod before smiling again. "Then tell him. If he returns your feelings, he will tell you. Whatever the gap between you may be, if it is meant to be, then you will discover a bridge. If you can find a way to accept it, so will he."
"It's not so simple, Sorian."
"Everything can be made simple, Lileina. Even the feelings in a most mixed up heart." Kissing her sister miko's forehead, Sorian stood up. "Please get some sleep, Lileina dear. I'm sure your human will be there for you in the morning."
"My…" Eyes widening, Lileina stared at her friend in disbelief. "But…Sorian, how did you…"
"Who else would keep my sister out in the Wakeful forest all day and keep her awake crying all night? I don't fully understand your love for their kind, Lileina, but I do understand what your heart is feeling now." Leaning a moment on the door frame, Sorian smiled secretively. "I have heard of such situations where a human and a dragon were able to find ways to be together, and even marry. For your sake, I hope that your human's heart is big enough to love a dragon." Closing the door, she whispered her last words just before it fell shut. "Good night."
"Good night," Lileina replied as the door clicked shut, and she pulled the book out from under her pillow, pressed it to her face and breathed deeply once more. Maybe Sorian was right. Valtier wouldn't reject her, she was sure of that…if she could just find the right way to tell him, he would understand…somehow…
* * *
In his own bed in the City of Ancients, Valtier was having very different thoughts. Smiling as he replayed the memory of his walk with Lileina in his mind, he rolled over on his back, his blue-green hair loose and wild against the covers and pillow. If only he could have somehow made the day longer so they could have continued walking together. But she had been worried that he wouldn't be able to make it home before it became too late, and once again he had felt a stab of guilt at making her feel so worried about him, especially since there was no cause for her to be.
Still, he couldn't get her out of his mind. Her eyes…so blue…and her hair looked so…soft…he suddenly had an inexplicable urge to run his fingers through her golden hair and hold her tightly in his arms and tell her that she shouldn't worry ever again, not about him or about anything else.
A parade of questions marched through his head, and he looked at the ceiling as he thought about them. Was this really it? Could Lileina really be the one he was looking for? The one 'worth his energy?' Laughing a little to himself, Valtier shook his head as he thought of his friend. Wouldn't Artemis just love this?
* * *
The sun shone brightly on the colorful field of flowers in the valley as Valtier walked out of the forest, looking for Lileina. They had agreed to meet in that very spot, but he couldn't see her anywhere. Worried for a moment that she had been unable to meet him, Valtier looked over his shoulder. The wind picked up suddenly, blinding him in a storm of flower petals. Putting a hand over his eyes, Valtier stood still and waited until the wind had stopped blowing his hair around to pull his hand away.
When he opened his eyes again, Lileina was standing on the other side of the field of flowers, looking somewhat winded, as if she had been running. Suddenly relieved, Valtier walked towards her, smiling as he pulled his hair over his shoulder. All of a sudden Lileina hurried across the field, her eyes shining with tears. She met him halfway, throwing her arms around him as she nearly knocked him backwards onto the ground. Surprised, Valtier looked down to see that tears were running down Lileina's cheeks as she hugged him tightly. Somewhat uncertainly, he placed his arms around her in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.
"Lileina? What's wrong? Has something happened?"
"Happened?" Her cheek pressing against his vest, Lileina breathed in his scent as she spoke, and a fresh river of tears flowed over her face. Taking strength from his arms and from Sorian's words, she looked up at him slowly. "Valtier, I…there's something I have to tell you."
"What is it?" Holding her gently in his arms, Valtier spoke softly as she looked back down and he lay his head on hers. "Nothing could be as bad as all this."
"It's just…it's…" The fact that he was being so nice to her wasn't helping the situation, and Lileina closed her eyes as he sort of rocked from one foot to the other while he held her. "It's something…about me…"
"Lileina, there's nothing wrong with you. You are truly a beautiful person, and not just because you're so kind…you're the closest to perfect that I have ever known. Being near you makes me feel happy, as if there is nowhere else I want to be." Hoping to somehow quiet the fears she was trying to express to him, Valtier held her a little tighter against his chest as he spoke the words he had been waiting for just the right moment to say to her. Somehow, though, it didn't seem to make her happy.
"You don't understand," she whispered, shaking her head. "I…I'm not…" Lileina's legs felt weak all of a sudden, and Valtier held her up.
"Here, why don't we sit?" Carefully, he helped her to the ground and sat beside her in the waves of flowers that blew in the breeze. Drawing her once more to his chest, he smiled comfortingly at her. "Now, tell me what's troubling you so. You have nothing to fear while I am near you."
"Your words make me feel so strong…but I'm afraid that I have something to confess to you. I've been hiding it since we met…and I feel so terrible, because you mean so much to me." Laying her head on his chest, Lileina took a bit of comfort in his warmth as she held back her tears. "I don't want you to hate me."
"Nothing could be so terrible," he said, smiling at her gently as he stroked her hair a little, "as to make me hate you."
"I'm not who you think I am," whispered Lileina as she looked up at him. Carefully, she pulled away from Valtier so she could look at him better. "This body…I'm really…" Trembling again, she pressed her hands to her lap. "…a dragon."
"A what?" Valtier looked as if he were about to fall over as he heard Lileina's barely audible words. Beside him, Lileina closed her eyes and nodded her head.
"A Gold Dragon. This body…is my human form." There was a long silence from Valtier, and Lileina kept her eyes closed. She expected him to scream, or run away or something, but he was just sitting there. Bowing her head, Lileina tried not to let the tears that were scratching the backs of her eyelids come forth. "I'm sorry, Valtier. I just didn't want to lie to you anymore."
"Gold…dragon…" Eyes widening, Valtier looked at her and nodded slowly. A smile began to spread over his face as he began to understand. Of course. Her blonde hair…and her ability to 'hear' nature…and the ancient book. Now it was all making sense. Unable to contain himself, Valtier began to laugh out loud. Falling backwards into the flowers, he continued to laugh as Lileina opened her eyes and stared at him. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes as he laughed, and she wasn't sure whether to be offended or relieved.
"Valtier?"
"Oh, my dear Lileina…" Sitting up, he grabbed her hands and held them gently in his own. "Forgive me for laughing, but I'm afraid I haven't been totally honest with you either. You see…" Another short burst of laughter escaped his lips, and Lileina was beginning to lose patience.
"What is it?"
"I'm a dragon too. An Ancient Dragon, to be precise. That would explain my distant homeland and my long hair. So I suppose you can stop worrying about me making it home before dark." He continued to laugh a little, then noticed that Lileina was staring at him rather blankly. "Really."
"Ancient…? Dragon…?" Her voice was a little faraway, and Valtier's laughter ceased as he looked at her.
"Are you okay?" Leaning towards her, Valtier peered at her eyes. They remained fixed, if a little dazed, on his face as she blinked a few times. "Lileina?"
In her mind, she was trying to balance what she knew about Ancient Dragons with what she had learned about Valtier, and so far it wasn't adding up. All her life, she had been raised a good Gold Dragon, believing that Ancient Dragons were cruel, jealous and selfish, but to her it couldn't be true… Valtier wasn't any of those things. He was kind, strong, maybe a little flirtatious, but never… Could it be that she had been taught the wrong things about the Ancients? Looking at his face as his laughter faded and a look of concern filled his golden eyes, she knew that the others had to be wrong…they just had to be…
"Lileina?"
"Thank you," she murmured, smiling at him with suddenly bright eyes. "I was afraid…I thought you were a human, and that you would be afraid of me for being a dragon, or hate me for lying to you."
"I'll say it once more," Valtier said, putting a hand on the side of her face gently and smiling. "Nothing could make me hate you. I don't care what you are…human, Gold Dragon…hell, Lake Dragon, I would still feel the same as I do now." Leaning her head against his hand, Lileina placed her hand over his.
"Valtier…" Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the feeling of his hand on her skin. "You're…so warm…"
"Are you cold?" Putting an arm around her waist, he pulled her closer to his body and Lileina felt a wave of relief wash over her heart as he enfolded her in his arms once more. Another wind blew down from the hills, forcing them both to close their eyes. Valtier leaned his head protectively over Lileina's to shield her from the grass and flower petals that filled the air, instinctively holding her tighter. Her eyes felt hot all of a sudden, as if the tears she had managed to keep back were finally going to get their revenge as she realized that he was protecting her, keeping her safe from even the smallest threat. Inside his chest, she could hear his heart beating a little faster, and it made her smile. So warm.
The wind died down again and as Valtier's arms loosened a bit, Lileina looked up at him and smiled at the bits of grass and flower that were caught in his hair. Gently plucking one of the flower stems from his ponytail, she avoided his glance.
"I wasn't going to come," she said quietly, a little ashamed that she had actually thought about leaving him standing in the field, waiting for her. "Because I didn't know how to tell you…"
"Well, I'm glad you decided to come," answered Valtier, watching her toss aside the little bits of grass. "I would have missed you terribly." Lileina finished pulling the debris from his hair, giving Valtier an opportunity to take her hands. Turning them so that her palms were facing upwards, he looked into her eyes as she blushed.
"And I would have cried the whole day. I look forward to seeing your smile so much that just being without you would have caused me great pain." A soft breeze, just strong enough to lift a few strands of Lileina's hair blew over the flowers, and she smiled. "I never would have believed that miracles could truly occur until I met you, Valtier."
"And I never would have thought that a creature as gentle as you would be able to capture my heart so quickly." Gently, he rubbed her palms with his thumbs as he spoke, and Lileina searched his eyes for any sign of a joke, then looked down into her lap quickly, her cheeks bright with embarrassment.
"V-val..tier…"
"I'm sorry…was that too forward of me?"
"My mind wishes me to say yes…" Lileina's voice was little more than a whisper as she tried to find the right way to express what she was feeling. Her eyes dancing, she looked into his eyes and smiled. "But my heart forces me to say no…and to encourage you to continue." This made Valtier smile, and he lightly kissed her palms as her blush continued to deepen.
"Then I shall."