Princess Willowyn's Arc

Chapter 51 of 70

A month passed, and the dragon grew. He no longer fit in the bright room off the great hall. His wings spanned wider than Willowyn's arms could reach. Each night she led him out to the fields beyond the castle. He leaped into the dark sky, wheeled above her, and dove after deer at the wood's edge. She walked below and watched. She had never once climbed onto his back. Kai found her at the fence one night, her hands tight on the rail. The dragon circled overhead, his pale scales catching the moonlight. "He waits for you," Kai said. "Every night he lands beside you and lowers his shoulder. You keep stepping away." "I know." Willowyn watched the dragon bank and turn. "If I fall from that height, nothing saves me." "You raised the sea into a road," Kai said. "You revived drowned boys. But you're afraid of your own dragon." She wanted to argue. She could not. The fear was simple and old. She had healed kingdoms from the ground. The sky was not hers yet. The dragon landed. His claws pressed the grass. He folded one wing and dipped his shoulder low, the way he did each night. He turned his head and looked at her. He chirped, the same small sound he made as a hatchling. Willowyn climbed the fence. She set one hand on his warm neck. He held still. She swung her leg over his shoulders and settled between his wings. Her heart slammed. She gripped the ridge of scales in front of her. "Go slow," she said. Her voice shook. "Please go slow." The dragon rose. His muscles bunched, and he pushed off the ground. For a breath she nearly threw herself off. Then his wings caught the air, and the field dropped away below her boots. The wind pulled at her red hair. The castle spires shrank. The moon poured light across his scales and hers. He did not dive. He climbed in slow, wide circles, as if he knew her fear. Willowyn's grip loosened. She looked down at the dark fields, the silver river, the pine forests beyond. She had flown on the griffin many times. This was different. The dragon answered her. The dragon was faster and larger, When she leaned left, he turned left. When she pressed her knees, he steadied. "Higher," she whispered. He climbed. She laughed, and the sound surprised her. Kai stood in the field below, one arm raised. Willowyn raised hers back. When the dragon set her down, her legs shook, but she was grinning. She pressed her forehead to his snout. "We can go anywhere now," she said. Then the truth settled cold behind the joy. The dragon could carry her across kingdoms. There was no reason left to stay in this castle if she had to decide where to fly, and whether Kai would follow.