“How far do we have to go?” Aria asked as I frowned, my hand across my hips.
“Well, we’d have to press on for two days. No food, since that got smashed.” I turned to Aria as her eyes met with mine. At first there was a bit of silent panic, but slowly I saw the wavering in her eyes solidify.
“You can turn into a dragon, right?” I pointed out before she looked away from me, and at the soon-to-be-approaching blizzard. She was contemplating something, the mental struggle playing out in her mind. I waited, the sound of winter’s wrath being the only sound between us. Finally, she turned back to me, her choice made.
“I’ll fly us there.” Her voice was somber, unsure. I was on board though.
“Does that mean I get to ride a dragon?” A massive grin spread across my face as Aria clamped down, unable to speak before managing a flurry of embarrassed protests.
“N-No! I’ll be carrying you and all my stuff in my claws! You have a broken arm and you’ve seen how big I am, and you still want to ride me!?” She squeaked as I let out a playful chuckle.
“I mean, I’ve got to…” My voice was cut short as I stared back up at Aria’s dragon form.
The creature, no, Aria, held out her paws as I gathered all our stuff. It was curious that her clothes lay discarded nearby, but I threw them in the pile too.
Her paws were surprisingly soft, unlike the plates of armor on her hide. I felt them close up around me as the wind battered the makeshift shelter. Would she be all right in a blizzard? Of course she would be, she was a fucking dragon!
“Hey Aria. Do you want to mark Caen’s grave?” I looked up at her as she prepared to lift off. I got no reply back, no indication that she heard me. Oh well. I slumped down, sinking into soft parts as the other paw cupped around me. It was like a little vase, with a bit of breathing room up above.
Then I felt the entire structure tumble, before it calmed again. Loud crackles filled my ears as the snow began to fall even harder now. As much as I wanted to peek out, I decided against it. A busted arm will do that.
::Stay inside. We are flying.::
The words were in a warped version of Aria’s voice, but they were right there in my mind. I raised my eyebrows, taken aback for a moment. Aria being able to speak to me wasn’t the strangest or most magical thing today, but it still raised eyebrows.
“Um, could you always talk to everyone this way? In dragon form?” I asked out loud as I wasn’t sure. A reply came soon enough.
::I can. Only so far.::
I closed my eyes, letting my tired body finally rest. She was so straightforward as a dragon! Or maybe that’s how the mind speech worked? I guess if you had to talk with your mind then the simplest concept would emerge, or it would turn into a ramble. I decided on a little test.
“You know you don’t have to solve everything with murder, right?” I let out a playful laugh, but I heard nothing. For minutes. Now I was worried that there was a non-zero chance that I pissed off the dragon carrying me.
::I’m sorry, it just felt really intense. I don’t want this to somehow make you abandon me. You’re the only person that truly accepted me. Every time I…::
I rolled my eyes with a smile. She was still Aria all right. I’ve also never wanted to hear her mind ramble ever again. Oh, please go back to being straightforward.
“Shhhhh!” I shushed as loudly as I could before I curled up for a yawn. “Aria. I promise even if we don’t end up being in some happily ever after, we’ll still be great friends. I’m not going to get up and leave because you’re an affront to the church or whatever, though you act like a brat sometimes.” I felt sleep beginning to overtake me, the sounds of rhythmic flaps filling my ears. “Now, I’m going to catch a nap. When we get close give me a heads up.”
I sank into my own backpack, using it as a pillow. Parting words beamed into my mind before the silence.
::Sleep well. Friend.::
Chapter 8: House of the Trinity
The first time she lifted me in her claws, I had a fever dream. I dreamt of a grand parade, lines of blaring instruments. I saw me, but not me. A dragon that was Aria, but not Aria. Everything was in white that day. I don’t remember what happened in that dream, but I remember that the dream ended with a kiss. I always hoped it was Aria and I kissing.
- Charlotte
When I awoke, there was a bitter, sour taste in my mouth. My head was pounding. A numb sensation went all the way from my elbow up to my left shoulder. I could feel our gear and bags scattered about, shaken by the swaying motion too subtle to wake me. The flap of wings reassured me that I was still in good claws. A single beam of moonlight drifted down from above, the muffled sound of snow emanating from the frostbitten sky.
Then I felt a rumble as sacks of metal rods rained down on top me. I raised my one good arm and let out a grumble in protest.
“Aah! Aria, watch it!” I snapped back as I felt another rumble, her claws shaking. She was big enough to fly through the snowstorm. Right? Before I could worry, her claws opened up, dropping all of our bags and me right onto the snowbank. For a single moment I floated there, suspended in space. Then reality returned as I felt my body smash an indent into the snowbank, The rest of our gear followed my cue and dumped their contents on top of me. I was going to have to rethink my dragon riding dreams.
Not that I cared though, as I soaked in the dragon that was Aria. She was massive, but that was obvious. However, I’ve always imagined dragons to be these elegant, ethereal creatures, sleek and god-like, built for a life of flight. Aria was not that. Her scales appeared to be heavy and interlocked. Each were massive enough to be a great shield, layered on top of each other to form armor fit for a warrior. As she glanced down at me, her serpentine neck stretched like a floating snake. I could see her eyes, massive diamonds reflecting and scattering the light in ways ours couldn’t. It was as if the tiny motes of her human eyes condensed to become a single gem, then grew a few hundred times in size.
Now that I wasn’t scared for my life, I had to admit she looked beautiful. She was a towering figure of white, greys, and glittering rainbows.
In my mind I had always thought of Aria as leaner and of a more elegant design, that was my human imagination failing to account for her. Aria was an ice dragon, and there was no doubt that she looked the part.
“You know, now that I’ve gotten a good look at you, I think you look quite beautiful.” I smirked a little at my own comment as I pulled myself up, watching as her massive wings folded onto her side.
Each wing seemed to blot out a section of the sky, stretching longer than she was wide. Yet, as her head stretched down, I realized that she wasn’t as big as I initially thought. She was only a little taller than the treeline. In more overgrown areas of the Central Valley, there might’ve been trees even taller than her.
A serpentine tongue extended from her maw, as I crooked my head in confusion. A slobber-filled lick, followed by a surpassingly gentle nuzzle sent me careening into the snowbank yet again.
“Aah!” I gasped as I felt snow fill my jacket, before looking up at her with irritation. Was she…giggling? I couldn’t tell, but I guessed that’s what the deep throaty purr meant. As much as I wanted to play with her, I still felt sick. Dizzy. My arm was still a mess too, and landing on it hurt like hell.
“Aria…I’d love to play more, but broken arm,” I said weakly as I got up again, cleaning the dragon slobber off my cheek. There was a puff of smoke? Fog? All I knew was that one moment I could see things well, and the other moment I couldn’t. I heard rustling, as if someone was fumbling with the stuff spilled from our pack. Aria?
Before I could get a clear glance, Aria returned to my side wearing her old cloak and traveling dress, her bag firmly planted on her back. I smiled as she stepped up and wrapped her arms around me.
“Sorry! I just got excited when…” There was a worried frown on her forehead as her eyes met with mine, even as I returned a reassuring smile. “Charlotte, are you okay?” Her voice was filled with concern.
“I think so, but I don’t feel great, maybe a fever. Let’s head into town and figure out the rest afterward.” I gave a weak chuckle as she picked up the only other bag with supplies left. “Sorry I couldn’t play with you more. Maybe later though.” I gritted my teeth as I forced my legs to move. The snow was getting thick, especially without my snowshoes. I could feel the trickles of frost seeping into my boots with each step forward.
Aria let me go, but I could tell she was still worried.
