“Yeah,” I agree, at a loss for how I’m supposed to play the big, scary dragon who’s not really mean. “Like what?”
“Well, how old are you? That’s an important thing for friends to know.”
I nod sagely. “Very old,” I say. “Ancient. Wise.”
She gives a toothy grin, revealing a gap where she must have lost one recently. “I’m old and wise too. I’m four,” Riley adds proudly, holding up her fingers.
Aisling’s shoulders tense slightly, her breath hitching, and when I glance at her, her smile falters for half a heartbeat before she smooths it away.
Did she forget her sister’s birthday or something?
I clock the reaction, but before I can pull on the thread, Riley is already moving, the story carrying her forward like a tide.
“Do you like music, Dragon?” she asks suddenly, whirling toward the baby grand piano in the far corner of the room.
“Oh, yes, all dragons love playing music,” I confirm.
She looks at me, then back at the piano, eyes huge. “Can you?”
“I can.”
Aisling turns to me, surprised. “You can?”
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” I say lightly, giving her a wink as I come to my feet.
Riley bounces. “Play! Play!” she insists, taking my hand to drag me toward the piano. Her tiny fingers are just big enough to wrap around two of my own, but she pulls me forward with such enthusiasm, I can’t help but follow.
I sit at the bench, fingers finding the keys like they remember me.
It’s been a long time since I’ve played, and I’m mildly surprised to find the piano made it through the destruction of our home completely unscathed.
I choose something playful, layered, quick enough to make the little girl giggle.
The notes chase each other across the room, bright and alive, and Riley dances in a crooked circle, arms flailing, laughing like she’s discovered magic.
She drags Aisling into the mix, and Aisling’s smile is effortless—breathtaking—as she twirls the girl until she’s stumbling dizzily around the room.
When I finish, Riley claps so hard, she nearly falls over, and I rise to give a formal bow.
And when I meet Aisling’s gaze, she’s staring at me like she’s seeing me for the first time.
Electricity crackles in the air, making my heart quicken, and the moment is only broken when Riley grabs me by the pinky to drag me back to our pillow castle.
The game resumes, reshaped by music and laughter. I transform into the dragon again, guarding the princess.
Riley orders me to roar quietly so I don’t scare the villagers. She offers me pretend treasure and tells me secrets to earn my friendship.
Before I know it, dinner’s announced, and we join Sandro and Evi in the dining room.
Riley sits next to Aisling, her legs tucked underneath her so she can see across the table like a big girl.
She fits in like she’s always belonged here, chattering away as she negotiates peas with her sister.
She tells Sandro he would be a good wizard. Evi laughs until her eyes shine, and Riley informs her that she could be the queen of sunshine.
I watch it all like a man standing at the edge of a dream, an unfamiliar warmth leaving me almost drunk with contentment.
This is it,my mind whispers.This is what normal could look like.
