Long Ago

Chapter Ninteen

"I..." I began, only for Ray to say,

"Coming Apollo." Ray's cheeks were bright red and as he marched towards Apollo; I noticed sweat beading on his brow. I smiled to myself at his declaration. He liked me. He really did.

I spun on my heel turning with a new bounce in my step towards where Apollo waited. The witch was now sitting in a small wooden chair before the kitchen table. She was sitting with her arms crossed and her eyebrows pulled together.

Apollo stood above her as he asked, "What exactly did you tell the king?"

The witch humphed, "I told him where the little snake who took my eye was hiding. I also told him she has magic running through her vial veins."

I huffed a laugh, "You call me a little snake? Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

The witch hissed through her crooked yellow teeth. "I also told the king what a smart mouth you have." Her grey eye fell onto me, and only pure rage swirled in it.

I swallowed my fear and took a subtle step back. Her face still stirred fear and panic deep in my gut.

The witch seemed to sense the feelings rising in me, because she said, "I bet you would have tasted so delicious... I haven't had dragon blood in so long." She drew out the last words like they were honey dripping from her tongue.

I turned away from her and closed my eyes, trying to distant myself from her cackle that now echoed through the room. I felt my stomach turning, I walked hastily over to the door and walked out.

I had barley made it five feet away to a tree when my stomach released all its contents. My head pounded as I vomited.

As I stopped my retching, I listed to the sounds around me with my eyes tightly shut. The tweets and caws of nearby birds. The buzzing and chatter of little bugs. The wind gently blowing through the trees, ruffling their leaves. I exhaled a long breath, calming my racing heart.

When had everything gone crazy? When did my childhood disintegrate under my own hand? I never used to think of myself as the quest taker or adventuring type. I never dreamed about being who I turned out to be.

My wildest dreams as a child were grains of sand compared to the mountainous range of reality. So far on this journey of mine, I found dragons, witches, evil kings, mermaids, and the thing that seemed most impossible and shocking... love. I suppose deep down I didn't let myself realize the feelings I had for Ray. That is, until he confessed his for me.

I smiled to myself, my eyes still closed and the foul taste of the remanence of my last meal still in my mouth.

I heard footsteps approaching, they were heavy, so I knew they belonged to one of the boys. "You okay?" William asked from behind me.

I nodded, not looking at him.

"Are you sure?" He asked coming up behind me, squatting down and placing a hand on my shoulder.

I looked over at him and smiled softly, "Yes. I'm okay. Just..."

I didn't need to finish, he nodded, understanding in his eyes.

"So," I said. "Apollo is your son."

He smiled widely at me, removing his hand from my shoulder and standing up. When I was once again standing he said, "Yes. He is." William shook his head in disbelief, "He... he's all grown now. I can hardly believe how much he looks like me... like his mother." He chuckled, "He's one handsome bugger, if I do say so myself."

I snickered, afraid to agree... or disagree for that matter. I nodded, "Yeah. Especially when he's around Teylie... he lights up every time he's near her."

William smiled distantly, as is recalling a memory. "Yes... I always thought those two would be cute as life mates. But... well, we live a different life than her. She remains in water, we remain in sky." He shook his head. "I once looked for some kind of spell to keep them together... but, no such thing exists."

I frowned, thinking of how heartbroken I'd be if I could never seen Ray again... and our love was hidden, secret. I hadn't even told Ray how I felt yet.

William smirked at me, "So... you and Ray..."

I started at his silent question. "I... we... he... um..."

William chuckled at my stumbling, "So it is love then."

I scowled at him. "I don't know if it's love per say. But... I do know that we both share... feelings for each other."

"We both?" Ray's hopeful voice floated to me from behind.

My eyes widened and heat bloomed on my cheeks, ears, and neck. William was smirking at my tense shoulders and my deep red face. "Well," Willam said. "I'll leave you two love birds to it." With a wink and a snicker, William walked away.

I slowly turned to face Ray. He was smiling wide at me. "You know," I said slowly, surprised to find my voice steady. "It's rude to listen in on other people's conversations."

Ray snorted, "Yeah, well... I'm glad I chose this one to snoop in on."

I looked down at my feet. "So," I began, avoiding eye contact. "How do you feel about what you over heard?"

Ray lifted my face with a gentle grasp on my chin. "I feel... out of breath, sick to my stomach, and like my heart might explode from my chest."

I laughed, the sound full and deep. "Would it help you if you knew I feel the same way?"

Ray smiled ear to ear. "Yes."

I smiled softly at him, "Have you ever... been in... love before?"

He shook his head. "No. I never found it worth my time... until now." He tilted his head, fear and worry clouding his eyes. "Have you ever... been in love?"

I shook my head slowly, "I have never found someone worth giving my heart to... until now."

Ray let out a short harsh breath, "I'm... I'm honored to be that person, Raven."

I smiled kindly at him, "And I'm honored to be worth your time."

He chuckled, then looking up at the sky, he let out a long breath.

"So," I mumbled. "What do we do with this new found... information?"

Ray sighed, watching the clouds moving slowly. "I haven't the slightest idea." He met my eyes and smiled slyly, "I suppose we could court?"

I tilted my head, "Do dragons court?"

He winced at my question, before I could ask why he said, "No... we mate, but... um... you know."

My cheeks heated again as I asked, "Is that a choice on your... our part? Or is it just whoever whenever?"

He cleared his throat, "When dragons mate, it's for life. We find a compatible lover, then if it's mutual acceptation, the two dragons mate. It's like humans and marriage, only without the ceremonies and tradition. Like humans have husbands and wives, dragons have life mates. Often times, when you first meet your life mate, there is a feeling of anger and the need to prove your dominance to them... that was probably why we were... on edge when we first met."

I nodded, so that was why he felt... wrong to me. "So, if you and I courted as humans..." I cleared my throat, trying to ask my questions without exploding form embarrassment. "Would we be life mates as dragons?"

Ray pursed his lips, trying and failing to hide his smile at my discomfort. "Yes."

I looked into his eyes and smiled meekly. "I've never felt any... love for someone like this before."

Ray nodded, then hesitantly grabbed my hand. "We'll take it one step at a time. There's no pressure."

We smiled at each other, and I knew... this was where I was meant to be.