"Rin! Get back here," Onaeni shouted. "Yuki! Do not follow your sibling or I swear to Ryūjin-"
Yuki giggled from beside me as we ran. She always followed me wherever I went, but she was my other half; I wouldn't have it any other way. We rushed past our nursemaid and into the central courtyard. Onaeni continued to scream at us to come back, but we ignored him. "Where to, Bug?" Yuki asked me.
"Let's go into town, duh," I said, rolling my eyes.
We ran faster when we noticed the guards by the door looking straight at us. We slipped past them and out the wide-open doors, hearing them shout at us as well. Within a few minutes, we were in town and slowed to a stop. The sounds of people bustling about, shops trying to attract customers, and the smell of freshly-baked goods capture my senses. It was so lively here. Full of color and laughter. We loved coming to town because it didn't feel lonely. The estate was so empty. After all, it was just our family and the staff. I hated it.
"Bug, let's get some mochi," Yuki begged me, tugging on my sleeve and pointing at a stall. The confection was a special treat from outside of our realm, but dragons had quickly taken a liking to it and it became a stall food Yuki had an obsession with.
"Okay."
We walked up to the stall and the person running it saw us and quickly bowed. "Oh, young nobles. What can I do for you?" The person asked.
While Yuki began rattling off what we—she—wanted, I glanced around. The town was filled with the smells of food and a hint of smoke from the multitude of fires. There'd always been the faint smell of smoke in the air no matter where you went. I kind of liked it. It reminded me of home. This was home, more than the stuffy estate was. No amount of open corridors and courtyards could alleviate the crushing loneliness that haunted those halls.
Yuki tapped my shoulder and offered me a piece of mochi. She knew I didn't really eat much of it, so she offered a small piece. I accepted it and popped it into my mouth. Then, Yuki looped her arm with mine and we began walking around. The faint sound of music brought my focus to a flame-weaver in the town square. My attention was grabbed and I pulled Yuki over. We squeezed through the small crowd to the front where a beautiful dancer used their flame to create intricate patterns in the air. It was beautiful. A dragon's flame was always beautiful. There were different colors, different intensities, and different qualities. A flame was a manifestation of a dragon's magical spirit, so each was unique. This person's looked like a flowing white silk ribbon as it weaved in the air. Like a glittering snake dancing in the sky to the beat of the drums being played off to the side.
When the dance ended, the crowd clapped. Yuki had a large smile on her face as she clapped along. I was still watching the dancer. They looked out of breath, but content. A small elbow poked into my side and I flinched. "Hey!"
"Go talk to them, Bug," Yuki urged and roughly pushed me into the circle left for the dancer, but I stumbled and fell to the ground, scraping my knees in the process.
My face instantly reddened. What did she even want me to say to them? My ears reddened as I avoided looking up. I probably looked stupid. Why did Yuki have to push me like that? Tears welled up in my eyes, but a blurry hand appeared and I blinked them back. It was the dancer. They had a gentle smile on their delicate face. "Hello there. You took quite a fall."
I carefully reached out for their hand and they pulled me up easily. "T-thank you," I mumbled, still embarrassed.
"No need to thank me. What is your name, dear?"
"Rin."
"Oh, what a lovely name, Rin. And how old are you?" They asked.
"I'm still a hatchling," I answered.
"I see. Did you like the dance I performed? You were watching so carefully."
I nodded my head. "It was very pretty."
"Thank you." They hummed, tapping their chin. "Would you like me to show you some dance moves?"
"Yes!" I gasped excitedly.
I heard Yuki giggle in the crowd and my excitement grew. I'd be able to learn how to dance from a flame-weaver! Maybe I could someday dance as beautifully as they did. Even though I was still angry at Yuki for pushing me, I was thankful that she urged me to do something I'd always wanted to do.
But, just as they were about to teach me, I heard a commotion, then a loud, "Rin, Yuki!"
Oh no. I turned back to see Onaeni next to a taller figure. Not them. They had a smirk on their face knowing they'd been the one to get us in trouble. My heart dropped in my chest. Turning back to the dancer, I frowned. "I can't."
"I see. Well, feel free to catch another show and we'll see about it then. I'm in town once a month," they said with a smile.
I nodded my head and let go of their hand to guiltily walk over to my nursemaid and the dragon standing next to him. As soon as I was near, Onaeni gripped my arm. "Great deities above, you two are going to put this old dragon into an early grave! If your brother hadn't told me where you-"
"I think they get it, Onaeni. Leave them be," the smug dragon said.
I stuck my tongue out at them and they laughed. "Come on, Rin. Don't be like that. I was just looking out for my adorable little siblings."
They reached out and pinched my cheek but I swiveled my head to try and bite their finger. They chuckled. "It's like I'm taking care of feral animals."
"Let's go. Your parents are furious," Onaeni huffed, pulling Yuki and me along.
"Sorry, Rin," Yuki whispered.
"Why are you sorry?" I asked.
"You couldn't dance. I wanted to see it. You looked so happy."
"It's okay," I whispered.
We were silent the rest of the way back home. I looked down at the ground and realized my knees were scraped up pretty badly, all bloody and gross and my robes were torn. My parents would be furious that I ruined my clothes and that I ran away with Yuki again. It wasn't our first time and it wouldn't be our last. They knew how much Yuki and I hated being cooped up in the estate, but they didn't care enough to do much to fix it.
When we got back to the estate, Onaeni led us to our parents' study. My feet began dragging along the floor as we neared the room. I didn't want to get yelled at again. What did I expect though? We'd left the grounds without a guard or our nursemaid. Not even Akira, though Akira would've likely known anyway. It was probably how they knew where we were. Their powers bloomed already. Future sight. Lucky for them, not us.
Onaeni opened the doors to our parents' study and Akira closed the doors behind us. I faced the front and gulped when I saw the angry looks that faced us.
"What did we say about leaving without permission or an escort?" Noni demanded.
"You wouldn't have let us outside even if we asked," I mumbled with my head down.
"You're just hatchlings! Of course, we wouldn't," Noni cried out. "Do you not understand how dangerous it is for you, children of noble blood, to be roaming around without any powers? You could have at least brought Akira with you."
"They wouldn't have let us do anything either," I argued.
"That is not the point, Rin," Nobi finally spoke up. She was often quiet when Noni ranted. "You scared us. If you continue to run away like this, how do you expect us to trust you in the future?"
My head hung down lower. "I'm sorry. We just—I just—"
"I think they get it, Noni, Nobi," Akira spoke up gently. "They're just trying to have some fun, the both of them."
Noni sighed. "You bloom and suddenly you're wise beyond your years."
Akira smiled. "I'm still a child, too. I need your guidance."
Noni smiled back. She stood up and walked over to us. Onaeni let us go so Noni could get down on her knees and pull Yuki and me into a hug. "Oh, my sweet babies. Please, I beg of you. Do not do this anymore. If you wish to leave, tell someone," she whispered.
I felt someone else behind us and realized that Nobi was also hugging us. She kissed each of our heads and stood up with Noni. "Did you at least have fun?" She asked us while holding Noni close.
"Yes!" Yuki exclaimed. "We got mochi and watched a flame-weaver dance! Rin was going to learn some dance moves from them before Onaeni and Akira came to get us."
"That does sound like fun," Nobi agreed.
Yuki began talking about the dance while I carefully slipped out of the office. I was about to walk away when a hand touched my shoulder. "You shouldn't scare Noni and Nobi like that. They just want what's best for you. We all do," Akira said.
"I know," I huffed. "I didn't mean to scare them, I just wanted to get out of here. It's so lonely."
"I understand that. Before you two hatched, I was alone for years as well," they said. "But, you have Yuki. You have me. You have our parents. You don't abandon your family."
"I understand," I whispered.
Akira sighed and pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel the warmth of their flame and it eased the tension in my body. I hated getting in trouble, but it was worth it to me. I hated being locked up in here all the time even more.
"Okay, I'll let you sneak off now. Go play or something," Akira said.
I pushed away from them and walked away. My family didn't get it. Maybe they were okay with sitting here and pretending that we had power, but I wasn't. Our noble status meant nothing. It was just a formality. Noni and Nobi had other jobs, but we all still enjoyed a privileged life. I didn't care. There was more to life than this. There had to be more than sitting around, cooped up in a fancy estate and waiting for the day my life actually began. I couldn't handle the thought of this being the rest of my life.
There had to be more.
~~~
Omg, it's taken so long to get this out! I've had this first chapter written out for months now, but I was unsure of posting it if I didn't like the direction I was taking things. Still, here is the beginning of Rin's story. I hope you all come to love them as much as I do!
Stay tuned for more insanity and thank you so much for reading!
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