Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made Of
Somewhere in a quiet cavern in Eranesse on Arofilios, Kerbouchard lifted her silver head. The beat of wings twice amplified by the walls of rock around her stilled pair by pair. Her two daughters bent their crimson heads in greeting as their shining silver mother ambled out into the sunlight.
On the back of Dawn Rose sat Beau, Rokilon's son, a smile of greeting warm and wide for his mother. Her heart ached to see it for he resembled his father most strikingly, but she loved him more than than all the worlds and so smiled back. On the back of Crimson Dawn sat Kala, the daughter born twin to Beau but of a different father. Something attained by the magic of the Orb of Gamewell and perhaps a bit of dreamstuff. More frail than Beau, but beautiful, she slid from the back of her step-sister, the dragon she rode, into the arms of her brother who had dismounted already.
Kerbouchard was pleased to see her children. They were grown enough now to have responsibilities in the kingdom of Eranesse. The time since she'd birthed them to the present day had been years enough already to make soft the shining memory of her love for Rokilion and the ensuing marriage to Tallie Jester, who vanished just a few years ago, word of him still unheard. She nuzzled them all, missing those gone. Her other two dragon daughters were dead in a tragic war to regain the throne of Eranesse from the hands of humans in a battle 3 years old. She had no word from their legal father in several years, but thought of him fondly this day and prayed the Kristos that he lived.
Her children presented her with their greatest gift, themselves, for as long as they could stay. They begged of her the tale of Beau's father, Rokilon, and his enemy Yves D'Arcy. Ker told the tale once again, her heart still breaking a-new when she reached the moment that Rokilon held D'Arcy away from the portal and in it's closing was separated from her forever, allowing R'Kieth that old reprobate, Chiana-a silver dragon like herself-, her dearest friend Kellian and Mordrent-the sorcerer to escape the collapsing world of D'Arcy's dementia.
Her children saw her tears, didn't understand fully why it was she cried every time the tale was told or why her eyes shimmered with such deep love. A love that had lasted for so short a time, yet had been the most powerful love of her life, was a difficult thing to explain to two children who's hearts had not yet known the companionship of one soul to another. Beau and Kala were close, as twins should be, and pure, as siblings should be. Their innocence was something Ker desperately wanted to protect.
As the day drew to dimming and the sun gilt the aerie, Ker settled her wings around herself. She kissed her children, blessed them on their way with her everlasting love and watched as the dragons carried their siblings homeward to the king's keep.
Softly, she murmured to the darkening sky, "You are in my heart, my beloved, today as always. What wouldn't I give to see you, touch you, once again?" She settled her long neck, the pendant of Magma around it's base, the only thing that could maintain her dragon form now, and drifted into a sleep full of dreams...
... and dreamstuff ...
... in her dreams she recalled a small inn, long ago visited ...
... when she awoke, she wondered if it were not time to visit once again.
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Important: If you've enjoyed this, please read this--Copyright: 1997