My stomach bottoms out, and my voice catchesin my throat.
Wind lashes around my bugged-out eyes, clear water flowing down my cheeks, and my ears bleed with the unholy wrath of the sharp breeze.
Straightening out, Saff brings us to a smooth glide.
Looking behind me, I see a slight grey sand almost to the horizon, where the light of the two suns begin to trace the sands, blending it into a shade of orange. Facing forward, the mountains reign supreme, all pushed together and stretching as wide as the eye can see.
Terra.
The air smells different as wind gusts catch me from drastically changing landscapes, syrupy undertones shifting to crisp salty seas and fresh hued leaves.
As we continue our glide, I release my fingers from their punishing grip around the reins strapped to Saff and move to rest them against roughened crimson scales. Warmth seeps through my fingertips at the slight touch against her body.
A grin forms on my face, and an overwhelming sense of release to the dragon beneath me overtakes my limbs.
“Free,”Saff rumbles into my mind.
A bubble of laughter works its way up my throat. “Yes, Saff, I feel free.”
Continuing to push my fingertips into the scales below, Saff begins to purr her contentment. Unexpectedly, my body begins to vibrate faintly in the saddle as her purrs pulsate through her whole frame.
How have I gone a lifetime without feeling this?This utter expanse of possibility, of hope.Even as a child, I never felt such wonder, such excitement for the world stretched before me.
Am I scared of heights? I guess this proves I am anything but.
With Saff beneath me, I feel unstoppable, an enchantment far stronger than the Goddess ever gifted me.
She may have chosen me, but I am not hers and she is not mine. The only person I belong to is myself, and I have full autonomy over the choices I make in this life. I can see that now.
I’m done hiding—hiding behind the walls of a temple, behind the rules of a crumbling kingdom, behind a bond that was never granted permission.
Tears come, thick and fast, snot ungracefully forming bubbles within my nose. I’ve never cried so much in my life. I find myself shedding layers each time I release these sentiments coming to form. It all came to a head that night I was certain the song would work, and it didn’t. The night my foolish heart thought the dream of Castor was more than a dream until it shattered at my feet. Until that point, I was coping. I was masking. Everything was fine. I was okay.
Looking back now, it’s easy to see how okay I wasn’t. How much I needed this freedom to move past the things I could not change. To see I’m more than just a servant of the priestesses. More than just the mute girl. More than just the girl who has a scar on her chest.
I am more than I ever thought possible.
This life can mean so much more than I’ve thought possible.
On the back of my intimate—Saff, a dragon of old fae lore—I’m given the possibility to dream again in the face of uncertainty.
“You water, Little Human.”
The sound of Saff’s voice is a balm, a strength I finally understand. With unwavering connection comes confidence in yourself—a truth.
Argus bucks inside my chest, eager to be set free to soar with his new friend. Patting my breast, I whisper to the little protector inside, “I know.”
Saff has given me a gift. The best gift, and the only one I have received since before…
“Hold,”she barks in my head, and I instinctively grip the reins before me.
We suddenly bank.
Gripping my thighs tighter around the saddle, I suck in air like a baby bird experiencing life for the first rhythm.
As we straighten out, I exhale my calm.Practise. This will take a lot of practise.
“Down, look.”This time, as I survey the sky at Saff’s behest, I find a thicket of trees to one side of us and the sands to the other.
