1
The Bonding Ceremony
I woke with a gasp from the nightmare. How many times was that this week? Too many. I wasn't getting enough sleep. I rolled over with a deep sigh and looked out my window. There was still an hour at least until dawn and I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.
I groaned and got out of bed. I went down the hall and checked on my mom. Passed out like usual. It was the only way she ever slept anymore. I continued down the hall and peeked in on my eight-year-old brother, Cyrus. He was still sleeping peacefully. I envied him for his sleep a bit, but then again...
Still creeping, I went out into the kitchen and grabbed a muffin for my breakfast. It felt like any other morning, but today was the day that would change my life forever and it had my nerves wired. I was more excited for today than I had been about anything. Fifteen years worth of anticipation and six years worth of intense preparation was built up in my gut, ready to burst. I nearly jumped out of my skin as Cyrus came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and calling for me.
"Lalee?" He'd called me that since he could talk, not quite being able to make the 'T' and 'w' work together in my actual name. It was cute, though.
"What's the matter, baby? Did you have a bad dream?" I put my breakfast down, not quite able to eat, anyway, and pulled him into my lap. He shook his head as I kissed the top of it and rubbed his sleepy eyes again.
"No. Today, Lalee gets her Dragon, right?"
I grinned, "Yes, it's today." The Dragon Bonding Ceremony was today and I was one of the lucky students chosen this year.
Cyrus smiled back at me, "I thought so. I'm excited to see Lalee's Dragon. You'll have the cooles, most bestest Dragon ever!" His eyes were so round with his excitement that I had to laugh.
"Best." I tickled him lightly, "I guess that means I won't be talking you back into bed, so what would you like for breakfast?"
"Eggs, pwease!" and he plopped down from my lap to sit in his own chair.
I chuckled, "Eggs it is, then." I whipped up some scrambled eggs for him and gave him some toast with butter and jam. I sat down and watched him eat with another small sting of jealousy.
"Lalee? Will you tell me the story of the first Dragon Bonding?" Cyrus spoke through a mouthful of food.
"Chew and swallow, then talk," I mothered him. I had been all he had for a mother since Dad died. Mom locked herself away and numbed out her pain with alcohol. It was too much for her to handle so soon after losing my older sister to illness. She'd only been one year from being able to bond. Cyrus had only just been born when Dad died. I looked out the window and nearly had a heart attack. The sun was up over the horizon.
"Oh, shoot! I'm going to be late! It'll have to wait until tonight. Molly should be here soon. Wish me luck!" I yelled all of this as I scurried around for my gear and jumped up and down as I put my shoes on.
Molly was my best friend Logan's mother. She looked after Cyrus for me so that I could still have my own life, as she put it. I loved Cyrus too much to see it that way, though. He was a big part of my life, my own flesh and blood. I never once thought of him as a burden. He was a really good kid. The only time I ever heard him complain was if I spaced off while cooking a meal and accidentally burnt it. We went to Logan's house on those nights where Molly was always happy to have us.
I ran out the door, slamming it behind me. As I ran down the dirt road, I caught a glimpse of Logan up ahead walking with my other best friend, "Logan! Suri! Wait up!" they stopped and turned to face me. Logan grinned as Suri rolled her eyes with a knowing smile.
"Running late as usual, I see." Suri commented as I aproached them. Logan threw an arm around my neck, putting me in a headlock, and ground his knuckles lightly on the top of my head.
"How's it going, Lalee?" Logan was the only person other than my brother I allowed to call me by that nickname. He'd picked it up from Cyrus and had laughed, saying that it was 'catchy.' If Suri didn't think that it was completely childish, I was sure I'd let her call me Lalee, too.
Logan was lean and strong and was the only guy who'd beaten me in feats fo strength. Well, the only person who'd ever beaten me, actually. I was at the top of my class along with Logan and Suri. "Alright, Logan, cut it out or I'll put you on your back."
"Hardly!" Logan laughed, but let go anyway. I knew as well as he did that he wouldn't beat me in a match unless it was in class. I was his best friend and he had a hard time viewing me as an opponent. At least, that's what he said. However, something itched at the back of my mind that said there was more to it than that. I was forced to shake off the thought as Suri caught my attention.
"Twila, you're spacing out again." she said.
I winced, "Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind." Logan's joking demeanor disappeared in a flash.
"Nothing happened this morning, did it?" he asked. I felt myself soften under his concerning gaze.
"No. Nothing happened." Drunken rages happened occassionally with my mother; sometimes they were iolent and I would be in the way. Don't get me wrong, she's not abusive or anything. She just likes to throw things and sometimes I'll walk right into the path of whatever she threw. Stuff like that. It kind of just happens when I space out.
Ever since Dad died eight years ago, I've had a problem keeping my focus at times. There were only three things I could focus on - Cyrus, my studies, and fighting. They were the only things I wanted to focus on. Which pretty much threw courtship out the window. I was too much of a tomboy, anyway. Not to mention Cyrus and I were a package deal. There weren't any guys my age that were ready to handle that kind of responsibility. The only exception was Logan with his multitude of brothers and sisters, both older and younger. I shuddered at the thought of Logan courting me. Too weird. I mean, we were best friends.
"Are you sure nothing happened?" Logan repeated, the worry perfectly clear in his green eyes, probably responding to my sudden shudder. Come to think of it, Logan was pretty much the only guy who hadn't tried courting me. He probably thoght it was weird, too.
I smiled up at him, fully appreciating this newfound fact, "I'm sure, Logan, now let's get a move on or we'll all be late."
"Finally." Suri sighed exasperatedly. She led us into a quick sprint towards the training grounds. When we got there, the other five students chosen for today were already following out teacher into the forest. We quickened our pace and put ourselves in line alphabetically. Since my name started with a 'T', I was last in line. Suri was two people ahead of me and Logan was third from the front.
The path we walked on was well worn due to genereations of the Dragon Bonding Ceremony. My heart thumped in my chest, excitement taking over my senses. My breath was labored, though not from running. The anticipation clawed at the inside of my stomach, wanting to channel it's fury outward. All of it stopped, however, when we filed into the most beautiful clearing I'd ever seen.
On the far side from us was a fifty foot cliff from which tumbled a magnificent waterfall. The pool it created underneath it was the color of cool turquoise and aquamarine. It was a very unique and rich color even as it flowed away through the trees. The grass was thick and lush, but not overgrown. I had the urge to take off my shoes and wriggle my toes in it, it looked so soft. Most amazing of all was the perfect rainbow formed by the sunlight touching the mist at the bottom of the waterfall.
Despite the landscapes natural beauty, however, it could not begin to compare to the pearl-like iridescent scales of the Dragons' queen, Atera, as she landed before us. I was struck with awe by her magnificence and obvious strength. Even though she was massive in size, her movements were graceful. I took in her sight, committing it to memory. The Queen of Dragons only appeared to humans for the Ceremony. The only way to know her was by the white of her scales.
Suri reached around the person seperating us and grasped my arm tightly. All week she'd been freaked out about meeting Atera. Not scared, just really nervous. I mean, Atera was royalty among the Dragons and the Queen and King demanded the utmost respect. Mostly it was Atera, though. I half snickered and Suri threw me a murderous glance to which I laughed loudly. The others turned to stare at me. "Sorry." I muttered, all laughter gone. Logan caught my eye and grinned at me. A light sheepish blush colored my cheeks.
We all jumped suddenly as we heard Atera's voice in our heads. Her voice was rich and thick with power and quite obviously effeminite.
Children, she said, We are here today to find our true bonding pair. To form a love and friendship that can only be rivaled by one's life mate. This Bond will connect us in mind and spirit. We will become one today. Now, step forth and you will be chosen.
We knew how this went. We'd practiced for a whole week. One by one, each of us would go to stand alone in the middle of the clearing before Atera and our soul Dragon - the Dragon we are meant to be with for eternity - will approach us. Then the bonding begins.
I watched as the first student in line took her first tentative step towards the center. Her name was Amelia and she'd been my rival in training from day one. I smirked as her nerves showed; it was good to see the enemy faltering. My smirk disappeared, though, as Dragons appeared out of the trees and burst out of the water. My mouth fell open in awe while they circled Amelia and spread their wings. The Dragons were all shades of all colors. There were even some that were two different shades of the same color or two complimentary colors.
The Dragons suddenly took to the sky and circled the air above Amelia. They would beat their wings twice then glide in a downwards spiral before flying back to the top of the procession again. Their pace began to quicken until they were almost a vortex of color. Wind from their wings tore at our clothes and hair. The swirling vortex of Dragons came to a sudden halt as they seemed to be at a standstill in mid-air. From the throng, a rosy pink Dragon seperated itself from the rest, a single thread of movement; the eye of the storm of color.
The pink Dragon landed before Amelia, snorting and clawing at the ground. The Dragon swung her head as she approached closer to Amelia and focused one huge pink opal eye on her. Amelia drew herself up and said in a loud voice, "Dragon, do you choose me as your pair bond? Will you accept me to share your life?" The Dragon bared her teeth and touched her muzzle to Amelia's forehead. The rest of us shielded our eyes from the bright flash of white light that signaled the acceptance of bonding. When the light disappeared, Amelia turned to us and she bore the scale of her Dragon above her brow and her eyes had changed to match the color of her Dragon's scales, the symbols of a bonded pair.
Humans had nothing to offer a Dragon other than companionship, so the Dragons shared what they had with us. Their strength and their magic. There were few humans who could perform magic without bonding to a Dragon and none of them exercised that ability without considering the balance of the world. There was, of course, the rare foolish magic user that cast spells carelessly, but they usually learned pretty quickly. Dragon magic, however, worked completely different. It was a mystery how they used it, but it was always without concern for the balance. Somehow it wasn't affected by their magic.
Without a bonding, we were only able to learn the basics of Dragon magic, unable to actually perform any. After the bonding, if we could control our power and learn to use it efficiently, we would have the honor of being considered as a true Rider. It was a great honor to be a part of the elite team and it was my goal to join that legacy.
I watched as the other students ahead of me each took thier turn and bonded with their Dragons. Logan bonded with a dark bluish purple Dragon with eyes like sapphires. When it was Suri's turn, we all looked to the sky expectantly, but her Dragon never flew down. Instead, a lilac purple Dragon erupted from the water, her eyes like amethyst. We were showered by droplets of water. As the student before me made their bond, I felt my heart pound like a drum. You can do this, I told myself, Top of the class. Nothing could possibly go wrong. If only I knew.
I made my way to the center of the clearing, each step feeling like my last and closed my eyes. I couldn't watch my own procession; I was too nervous. After a few seconds, I forced my heart to slow and lifted my eyes to the sky above me. The Dragons had come to their standstill. I waited. Nothing happened. My gaze moved from one Dragon to the next. Not one of them gave any sign of moving away from the circle. My eyes dropped to the water. It was smoothe as it could be, rippling only as the waterfall broke the surface. I waited. Nothing continued to happen. How long had I been standing here? Did time move this slow for the others? Finally, the Dragons in the sky flexed their muscles as one and disappeared in different directions.
It is not your time to bond, I heard Atera say, Come again next year, hatchling. I felt my stomach drop to my feet. I would not bond today. I had been called hatchling. Never before had I heard of someone not bonding during the Bonding Ceremony.
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A/N:
I feel very accomplished that I even got through the first chapter. haha. Although, I feel like the ending of it seems incomplete.
Let me know what you think!
Review with your always constructive criticism! Again, flames are more than welcome.