Crossed Storms

t h r e e

My dad smiled lazily down at me as I rested my head on his strong, broad shoulder.

"How much longer, Daddy?" I ask impatiently.

"Almost there, Pumpkin," he chuckles as he continues walking along the dusty dirt path.

I admire the Red Mountains that surround the Fire Kingdom as we slowly get closer and closer to them until my dad stops at a large red rock with carved out holes for a foothold.

"This is where my father taught me how to fly," he tells me. "And it is where I'm going to teach you how to fly today. It's away from all the distracting sounds of the kingdom so you can concentrate on flying."

He sets me down gently in the grass and looks up at the sky.

"Your mother has taught you how to transform?"

I nod my head vigorously in affirmation.

He gets down on one knee and smiles at me, "Show me your phoenix."

Standing up eagerly, I relax my body and slowly allow the warm flames free. It pours from chest and envelops my whole body.

There was no pain. Just pure calmness.

I stand quietly in front of my daddy who smiles lovingly at me.

"Beautiful," He says whilst standing up. "Okay, Pumpkin, I need you to get up to the top of the rock for me."

I scramble excitedly up the gentler side of the rock, flailing my wings wildly and perch at the top, waiting for instructions from my dad.

"Do you feel the breeze? It is your friend. You need to trust the wind. It will both fight you and help you with your flight." He takes a moments pause for me to understand what he is saying, "Open you wings, allow your feathers to feel the cool breeze rustling through them."

I open my wings slowly and try to feel.

"Close your eyes. Relax yourself."

Closing my eyes as instructed, I relax my body. The feeling washes over me, gradually increasing. The cool, morning breeze catches my new flight feathers as I feel the push it gives.

"Now flap, feel the movement of the air as you push down. You control that movement - Yes, like that. - Open your eyes, Pumpkin. Go to the edge and fly."

I look gingerly towards my dad, his smile is confident. Stepping closer to the edge, I let my tiny talons grip the edge, I bend my legs and raise my wings high above my head.

Feeling a breeze catch my outstretched wings. I jump.

**

Ashelyn slowly opens her eyes as she feels a sharp pain in her wings. Tilting her head to the left, she spotted long black claws digging into her once beautiful feathers. To her right is the same horrid sight.

The sky was turning a light shade of pink as the sun slowly rose into the sky.

Morning already? Ashelyn thought.

Looking far ahead at the horizon, a large dark structure was barely distinguishable with the amount of light available as it sat at the base of three lonely mountains.

As they gradually approach the structure, she became aware that it was in fact, a castle.

Ashelyn was being taken to the Dragon Kingdom. Containing the very species that the phoenix of the Fire kingdom fought with for many years, until a peace treaty was reluctantly agreed upon. The two species still hated one another with a vengeance today.

Her heart sank at what was to await her in such a dreaded place.

The morning light reflected off the castle as if it was made of glass. The sight was almost beautiful as it was blinding. Below her, were fields everywhere with small cottages scattered across the land. As they got closer to the castle, Ashelyn became aware of figures below her, most in human form, going about their day as normal. A few curious ones looking up to her and her assailant. Very few of the population were in their dragon form, and the ones that were, came in a variety of many colours.

When her attacker dipped its wings down, Ashelyn gave a squeak of surprise. They entered a gentle dive headed straight for a dark tunnel at the base of the castle.

Ashelyn tucked her legs closer to her body and braced herself for the sudden blackness that was bound to come. The dragon tucked it's wings in and entered the tunnel with ease.

Ashelyn's feathers illuminated the dark walls of the tunnel only a fraction. The dragon evened out its flying and dropped her on the dirt coated floor.

Picking herself up, she attempted to tuck her wings closer to her body. Only one wing could perform such an act. The other lay useless in the dirt.

Ashelyn's eyes adjusted to the room, the walls were made of stone and the only exits consisted of the tunnel she was just transported through and a small staircase leading upwards.

On the other side of the room was the dark dragon, watching her with its intense green eyes as she took in her surroundings.

It stalked towards her, releasing a deep rumble. Its threatening movements causing her to back up frantically.

Ashelyn was so focused on the beast in front of her, she was unaware that she was being herded into a prison cell until it was too late for her to react.

The dragon slammed the door shut with its long tail, locking her in.

Torches around the room began to faintly light up, slightly illuminating the horrible place. The filthy floors were rough and made from dirt, the walls were covered in shadows from the ill lighting and were just as dirty as the floors.

The dark dragon appeared to be folding in on itself as it began a slow, painful transformation. The sound of snapping bones and retreating scales into skin filled the room.

In the place of the strong dark dragon was a tall man, young and handsome. His crystal-like green eyes were hidden by slightly long, pitch black hair that seemed to absorb all light.

He stood tall, his muscular frame rigid and tense, with his arms at his sides.

"Change," he said in a commanding, deep voice.

Ashelyn stared at the young man as he impatiently waited for her to transform. With no other choice, she let her white and yellow flames engulf her phoenix and leave a beautiful young lady in its place.

Her fiery red hair was caked in dirt and her once shimmering dress was now dull and ugly.

Ashelyn kneeled on the rough dirt floor, small stones painfully digging into her knees and her hands tucked in her lap, observing the man that had brought her here.

"Why don't you just kill me now?" Her voice cracked as she asked him this. She didn't want to die, not yet anyway, and not at the hand of a dragon. Or claw.

She knew trespassers between the two kingdoms were dealt with harshly, and were almost always killed.

The man wordlessly spun on his heels and stalked silently up the stairs, leaving Ashelyn alone in the dimly lit room.

She hugged her broken arm to her body as she painfully hobbled to the farthest corner of her prison cell. Her muscles were stiff from exercise and were hard to move from the chilling air.

Her arm had jagged slashes with dried blood covering almost every inch of her arm.

With no one in sight, she let the sadness and anger that was consuming her, out through her golden tears as they slowly ran down her cheeks.