Thirteen Years Later

"You know, just sitting there and staring at the dragon queen isn't going to wake her up."

Reyna turns her head back to find her father standing at the top of the stairs, staff in hand and a concerned look on his face.

"It's been nearly seven days, she's still in that coma." She stated, turning her attention back to the dragon and gave a small sigh of disbelief. "I still can't believe all this happened while we were gone, the king dying and his son being taken and destroyed, the queen wouldn't be like this. And I don't blame her for being so sad either."

"The prince would have been hatched around this month if he hadn't been killed, by now we would have had a baby dragon running around the tower blasting lightning at everything and being a little rascal like you when you were little." Ibis agreed with a nod as he started to descend the stairs. "All we can do is hope that the queen will awaken soon."

"You know, she mentioned to me when she was still awake, that she dreamed of humans and elves becoming friends again. I still think she believes in it." Reyna said as he approached her. "Despite that a human had came, stole the little prince and destroyed his egg with him inside it, she still wished for it to happen."

"A lot of us did, but no one wants to admit it." Ibis sighed as he sat down next to her and placed his staff down between them. "No human has set foot in Xadia with good intentions in centuries, how will it ever come true?"

"Unless there is another way aside from walking through the border."

"Even that's impossible with the Sunfire elves guarding the place. Xadia is practically protected by a lava river."

Reyna glanced over at the sleeping dragon queen as she shifted in her sleep. It would literally take a miracle to wake her up, but she knew better. Ibis mentioned only once that the queen was slowly dying of a heartbreak even he couldn't fix, and if she died...well, she didn't want to think of what would happen if Zubeia passed away in this unconscious state.

She got up and walked over to the queen. Once she was close, Reyna placed a hand on her snout. "Please your majesty, you have to wake up. I know your mate is gone, and so is your son, but they would want you to remain strong and wouldn't want you to stay like this. The other dragons need you, and so do the elves."

"It's hard to stay strong when someone you loved so much was taken so quickly and in such a brutal matter." Ibis says loudly and Reyna turns to see him approaching. "For some it takes a long time to get over that sort of loss, and with others the pain never goes away, but they try to hide it."

Like you do with my mother. 

"She'll wake up soon, she has to." Reyna says firmly, looking back to the queen. "Even if we have to cast a big enough and strong enough fulminist spell to shock her awake, we will find a way to help her awaken."

Ibis nods before placing a hand on her shoulder. "I can handle it all from here, you should go back."

"But the queen, she needs-

"Go back home Reyna, she's not going anywhere. Besides, you know they'd want to see you."

"Are you sure? I don't like leaving you alone here, you know that."

The mage gave a small chuckle before he shifted his hand to place it on her cheek. "You're forgetting I can protect myself just as well as you can, I am the one who has been teaching you. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you come back."

🍃🍃🍃

"And this is why I don't date anyone!" Reyna snarls as she flung away the latest (and lamest) bouquet of wilting melodasies over her shoulder. "Ugh, I swear every Skywing boy in our village is so full of themselves and...uncreative!"

"He's still alive." Cici comments as they look over the side of the bridge where the flowers were tossed, as well as the latest suitor. "I think...yeah I was right. Also, he wasn't that bad, just…"

"Rude. He was absolutely rude to you and interrupted our conversation just to give either of us a bunch of dead flowers that couldn't make any noise, and a real creep as well." Reyna scoffs as she took her sibling's hand to walk off the bridge. "You know how I feel about people who are rude and creepy towards you and I."

"All too well, and I already have someone.” The younger Skywing chuckles as they let their sister lead them. “Hey, I know for sure you’ll find someone who’s nothing like the boys of our village. Maybe they’re not here, your one true love could be from a different race!”

“I highly doubt my “one true love” as you call them is a Moonshadow, or Sunfire, or Tidebound, or Earthblood, or even a Startouch elf.” Reyna sighs as the village square came into view. “Maybe I’m not even meant to be with anyone, like Ibis.”

“Hey don’t say that!” Cici gasps, releasing her hand to run in front of her and grab her shoulders. “Everyone has a special someone, even the elves who don’t have romantic feelings for anyone! And I know you are my sibling, but it’s making me sad seeing you getting frustrated with every Skywing who even attempts to flirt with you. And you never know, maybe the person you will give your heart to isn’t even an elf and they’re waiting for you right over the border.”

The idea honestly made Reyna want to laugh, but the last thing she wanted to do was scoff at Cici’s suggestions and hurt their feelings. She had heard in old books of elves and humans being in love and marrying long before Xadia was split in half, but even those romances were cut short because of how slowly the elves aged at a certain point in their lives. Even if the elves and humans became at peace with each other, she didn’t want to suffer the heartbreak of watching a human she would love grow old and leave this world without her.

"I'm not sneaking over the border for something like that." Reyna said making a face.

"You snuck over it last month to bring back that funny black bird that screams randomly at Ikaros." Cici points out with a giggle.

"Humans aren't the same as birds, and I highly doubt there are that many who are just as open minded as that human boy you met. And even if I did fall in love with a human, I don't want to fall in love with the wrong one who has no love for our kind even if I try to show them that I mean no harm."

"Aw now you're just being pessimistic."

"I'm actually being realistic, but whatever."

"You know what you need?" Cici asks, grabbing Reyna's hands and pulling them towards an overhanging branch. "Some good old fruit to take your mind off what's troubling you. 'Cause you look like you have something more troubling than boys on your mind."

Ooh they knew her too well. Talking things out with Cici while enjoying some good old Xadian fruits always seemed to make her feel better, something they had discovered a few years back. The two elves managed to find a fruit tree filled with plenty of their favorite fruits, those purple oranges that tasted sweet and sour at the same time before they went back to the bridge to eat them.

"I'm worried about Zubeia, a few days ago she had fallen into a deep slumber and we can't wake her up." Reyna says as she peels the skin of her orange to pluck a small slice of it out and examined it. "Ibis and I have tried everything, from zapping her with lightning to jolt her awake to smelling salts, but nothing works!"

"She's depressed, it's hard to come out of a depressive state like that if you lost your partner and your kid at the same time and know they'll never come back." Cici points out as they eat their slice of fruit. "And it's hard to when a statue of your mate is sitting a mile or two away from your home."

Reyna shuddered at the thought. Everyone had been absolutely horrified at the news of Avizandum's painful death, being turned to stone by a human king and his dark mage while he tried protecting his heir while his mate was out hunting. No one knew what had happened to some of the dragonguard who had been guarding the tower that day, but it was suggested that they had all abandoned their posts and left the egg defenseless.

"Shouldn't you be heading back by now? It's been three days, I'm sure Ibis needs you." Cici says, pulling Reyna out of her thoughts. "Not that Ikaros, Zolar and I don't enjoy it when you visit during the time you are supposed to be helping him."

"Ibis made me take a break, but I do feel like I need to head back." Reyna says with a nod. "Maybe I'll come up with a solution to make the queen wake up."

“You two always find the best solutions, you and Ibis are the best mages I know.” Cici says with a smile. “Why else did the Skywing clan leaders choose you two out of all the mages?”

“They chose Ibis, he insisted I come with them.” Reyna laughs, recalling that day.

About two weeks back all the most powerful mages had been summoned by their clan leaders to choose one who would go tend to the dragon queen, who had fallen ill at the time. Reyna wasn’t sure why Ibis brought her along, but she was glad he did because she got to see the outraged expressions of the more experienced and older mages when a younger mage was chosen instead of them. When the leaders asked if he wished to choose any of the unchosen mages to assist them, Reyna never thought she’d see so many angry Skywings until that day when Ibis insisted on bringing her along to assist him.

“So much for being the best assistant.” Reyna sighs as she discards the skins of her fruit off the side of the bridge. “I really should head back, but I need to at least say bye to Ikaros and Zolar first before leaving.”

🍃🍃🍃

“You be careful now, and I mean it.” Ikaros says as he released Reyna from his hug. “You sure you don’t want me or Zolar to accompany you back to the Spire? You never know if any dangerous humans tried crossing over the border and are lurking in the forest, like what happened several months ago.”

“I’ll be fine Ikaros, I promise.” Reyna chuckles as he gently pressed a kiss to her temple and tapped the tip of her nose. “If I got attacked I’ll just use my magic to protect me and the knife I have hidden in my bag.”

“You can’t use that herb cutting knife to stab someone, you’re lucky I took it to sharpen it out!” Zolar says, holding the said curved knife before handing it to her. “Now if you were talking about the other knife I gave you as a birthday present you can absolutely use it to stab someone.”

The look Ikaros was giving him made Reyna want to laugh. “Remind me why you thought giving her a knife as a birthday present was a good idea, please.”

“Well Reyna needs something to defend herself with if her magic can’t save her.” Zolar states, probably not even noticing the look he was getting from his husband before he scoops Reyna up in a hug. “These last few days have been a blessing, don’t be afraid to come home if you feel homesick! Cici come give your sister one last goodbye hug before she leaves!”

“You’re crushing her.” Ikaros mutters as Cici ran into the living room from the kitchen to join the hug. “Now remember Reyna, no detours when you fly, find shelter if you catch breeze of a bad storm and don’t approach any suspicious looking elves.”

I will, please stop nagging!” Reyna groans as she was released from the hug and took her herb knife back. “I’m not five.”

“Last time you did something stupid, you broke your horn, I have every right to worry.”

“Say hello to Ibis for us, and that we miss him!” Cici yells as their sister hurried to the door and flung it open.

“Will do, take care!” Reyna yells back before shutting it behind her and gave a small sigh of relief. She hated it when she had to leave her family, ever since Ibis started to teach her how to control sky magic and take her to see how he dealt with problems that required magical solutions she should have grown used to being gone, but she never could. Her father always assured her it was normal to feel that way, but that she would grow accustomed to it one day.

Assuming I’ll ever get used to it. She thought bitterly as she hurried to the tall platforms built for messengers to have an easier time to take off and made her way to the top. The area was empty, giving her plenty of privacy to walk to the edge of the platform and adjusted her bag on her shoulder before holding her arms out and began to chant the wing spell. The symbols on her arms began to glow softly and the familiar itchy feeling of the feathers pushing their way and growing from her skin began to arise. Funny how she had always done this spell so many times and she still wasn’t used to the itchy feeling she got on her arms whenever the feathers grew, and even the side of her face and chest had felt a bit itchy as well. Once she was sure the wings were fully formed, Reyna took a few steps back before taking a flying leap off the side of the platform.

That exhilarating feeling of the fall never failed to make her heart race as she fell, feeling the wing rip through her hair and feathers before she spread her wings to catch herself. Reyna gave a huge whoop as she soared straight into the air and started her flight back to the Spire.

🍃🍃🍃

"Ibis, I'm back!" Reyna yells as she drops down to the stone ground of the Spire and shakes her arms, murmuring the release spell to let her feathers drop. Weird, no response from her father. Concerned and worried, Reyna hurried inside where she could hear new voices talking. She was barely making it around the corner before she felt someone grab her and start to pull her back to the entrance. "HEY WHAT ARE YOU-"

"Shhh! Stay quiet!" Ibis hissed as he managed to pull his daughter to the entrance before she wrenched free of his grasp. "Okay I know you just got back and you must be tired-"

"No duh." Reyna mutters, but her father proceeded to speak.

"But we have a problem. Two young humans and an elf are here with the dragon prince, and just earlier two more arrived. One of them mentioned that there is an army of darkness coming this way, I need you fly West and see how far they are."

"Wait a minute, there are humans in Xadia?!" Reyna exclaims. "And you just let a bunch of them in here?!"

"The two that recently arrived escaped from the army to warn us, the other two had found the young dragon prince and brought him back with the help of a moonshadow elf. And they're all perfectly harmless, especially the one who's passed out at the moment from tiredness." Ibis points out, holding his hands up in defense. "Please Reyna, can you do this for me? I swear when you come back you can rest and not have to deal with the humans."

"Fine, but I'm not talking to them- at all." Reyna says with a huff, removing her bag and handing it to him. "By the way, Zolar says to not be afraid to come home, and the rest of the family misses you too. Also Ikaros and Cici packed some food so there's a jar of moon berry jam and some good bread in there if you feel hungry."

"Well, let's hope we'll at least be able to come home again, I have a feeling this army will be a lot more trouble than we expect." Ibis said, accepting the bag. "Be safe, and stay well above them so they won't see you."