8 June 2012
(read chapter 1&2 first)
He stared at the colours that rose and fell inside the crystal. That’s what he had decided it was. He had sat there since he had returned. Gazing into the eternal masterpiece. He had a love and fear for the beautiful object that sat in front of him. He thought it might be magic, which unnerved him because he hated magic after his mother was killed by it. He thought that he should maybe get rid of it. Get rid of it, he thought, no I cant! He wrestled with himself never sure what he was to do. I have to get rid of it. He reluctantly decided. And so he went to the river and made a small raft that would float with the weight of the crystal ball on it. It took a while but he enjoyed doing so. He gently put it into the raft and set it of down the river. It drifted slowly southwards. Owain watched sadly as it drifted. He felt as if something had left him. He felt his heart weeping. It’s for the best. He kept thinking, it’s the right thing to do.
* * *
Owain was starting to feel okay. Sitting in his best friend, Atherton’s, farm always helped him to relax. He seemed to relax around the animals. He would lounge around on the hay bales with Atherton. Atherton was the same age as Owain and they had been best friends since the day that they had met by the well in the town centre. Atherton’s house and farm was down southerly to RedWood village. It sat in the middle or acres of land where crops grew and livestock grazed. “That sunset, wow.” Atherton said That’s why Owain liked this spot so much. They could see the sun set perfectly. “Red sky at night, shepherds delight!” Owain said recounting what Atherton had said way back when they had first sat here. Atherton smiled. “Yep. Should be a great day tomorrow.” “I sure hope so,” Owain said, “I need to go and fit a new saddle for Sally,” Sally was the family horse, “tomorrow.” They sat and talked until the sun fell behind the hill to the west. “Its getting dark I need to get back soon.” Owain told Atherton, “so goodbye. I’ll see you tomorrow.” They parted ways and Owain clambered onto Sally and rode off. They rode through Athertons fields. He suddenly felt an urge to go to the right. Thinking nothing of it he rode to the side. He kept riding until he found he was by the river. A flood of memories that he had tried to get rid of flooded back. He was riding by the river and there was a raft broken and at a stand still. Upon the raft was a broken crystal, hollow on the inside. And by this broken crystal was a small white dragon. It sat with staring bewildered by what it saw. Owain was drawn towards it. He walked over and crouched down about half a meter from the small white creature. He reached out and recoiled as a spurt of flames came out of the dragon’s nostrils. The baby dragon then made a noise like a chuckle, amused by the fire it had just produced. Owain reached out again and this time the dragon turned to him and let him stroke it’s snout. He then moved around and tickled it’s chin. It let out a chuckle again. “Hello Owain. I’ve been long awaiting you!” She said in an incredibly mature voice. But it was clear that she was a girl. “Hello,” he said bewildered and amazed. How does she know my name? “I know your name because I have chosen you to be my partner for life.” “Can you read my mind?” “No…this is the question that my father said you would ask. And as I said I have chosen you to be my partner for life.” As she said this her stomach started to glow multicoloured. It started to climb up her neck and into her head where it swirled around for a while. Then he looked down to find that the same was happening to him. He started to panic but then the dragon stopped him without words. He looked at himself and then the dragon again. Both of them were completely consumed in the glow. In a split second it fired out of them and collected into one large glowing ball of energy. Souls. Owain thought remembering back to the dreams he had had. The souls interlocked. Now the soul seemed more solid and powerful. It then split in half and shot straight back into both Owain and the white dragon. They were flung back in opposite directions as it hit them both. “Wow! What just happened?” “We joined Owain. Now we are one. Now we are one together.” “And what should I call you?” “ I am Grace, the only dragon to have ever been paired with a human. You are my rider” She gave a small smile, or at least the closest a dragon could get to a smile. Owain looked at here. Yes she was quite graceful. And when she was older and bigger then she would be even more so. “Hello Grace…my dragon” “Hello Owain.” They both smiled and then Grace let out a triumphant puff of smoke. Owain laughed surprised and happy and confused al rolled into one laugh.
(Phoenix) Chapter 3 (Dragon) • Opuss № I