Louise
She didn't feel safe anymore.
During the night, Louise had bad dreams. She stood next to Lou, staring at her death on the gallows. Lou already had a noose around his neck. Her brother smiled and told her it was time to go. A terrible dream.
When she was little, her mother used to sing songs to her when Louise woke up from bad dreams in the middle of the night. Instead of her mother, Nanette tried to comfort her. That worked well too, but Louise's sleep remained restless. And now she felt faint.
She sat among all the priests and priestesses who watched her insolently. Louise stared at her hands. Soot stuck to it after she touched one of the burned walls. The room in which they were now sitting was also different. A smaller room after the previous one had fallen victim to the fire. Only some of the priests and priestesses could be accommodated in this room. The rest sat in another.
She could still smell the past fire.
The flames of the dragons had hit the Wise Men the worst. There was almost nothing left of their mansion but black stone. Only a few rooms were still usable, like a handful of offices. Now the old men lived in good, quickly erected tents. Something was amusing about this, as the Wise loved luxury.
There must already be riches in the tents, Louise thought and sighed. Comfort that we priests and priestesses would never get. No matter how well-equipped our rooms are. I shouldn't fool myself. I, too, live in luxury while my family squats in the dirt.
"What's wrong?" Nanette asked quietly. A drop of sweat ran from her forehead. She used too much for her magic and had almost reached her limit. "No visions?"
"What for? I only see short, meaningless pictures anyway", Louise answered. "And everybody's watching me."
"Because of your secret boyfriend!"
"I don't have one." But now that her life as a priestess seemed mendacious and false to her, she wanted one. A boyfriend, husband... A different future. She wanted to leave everything behind. Leave the desert and see where the road would lead her. She wanted to seek happiness in foreign lands and one day run through beautiful gardens with her grandchildren and tell them stories.
But what will become of Lou then? Can I take him with me? Would I have to leave him behind? Would Harper accompany us? Does Lou want to get out of here? It's all he knows. And here are our parents. Nina. I can't leave them.
Would they all come with me?
Lou
"Why?", he asked Harper hesitantly, pulling his knees to rest his head on them. Lou shivered a little. The blanket around his shoulders didn't want to warm him.
Harper stroked Lou's cheek and looked at him doubtfully. The dragon raised an eyebrow. "Why what?"
"Why did the temple have to burn?" That's a question Lou had been asking himself since he was back in the caves. He twirled his sparklestone in his hands. The doll sat next to him and Harper, watching them both. From outside, rumbling noises and laughing voices reached them. Harper's family and a few other dragons secured the cave and the paths in front of it for Lou to move around more freely. They built a fence near the entrance of the cave so that Lou wouldn't accidentally fall down the cliffs. They made sure to leave enough space for themselves to land there. Some of the narrow paths were secured with a railing and a rope that he could hold on to and that would show him the way. They built everything out of stone and wood, which they got from forests several hours away. In the afternoon of the day before, a few dragons flew off to fetch the wood.
The cave itself was now partly furnished like a house. Like the house of a well-living family. Lou had it warm and soft. And there was also a wooden tub that had to be filled with water that the dragons wanted to get out of the river. With large buckets. Where they got it from, Lou didn't know. Presumably, they had stolen it.
They had nearly ransacked Remy's house. And, as Lou now knew, one or two things had been stolen from other houses and courtyards. "I didn't want to see my homeland burn", he continued sadly. "They don't deserve this."
"The Wise deserved it", Harper grumbled.
"Maybe..." Lou frowned. "But I didn't want fire."
Harper kissed his cheek. "I know. Forgive us. The fire served as a distraction. Your sister is fine. So are your parents. Sally checked. Disguised as a bird."
Lou nodded gratefully. "Good. May I see them?"
"Your parents? Vivi..." Harper sighed. But Lou shook his head.
"No, not my parents. Not Nina. No." Although he would like to see them. "Your true form."
"Oh. But... You were so scared."
"Yes."
"You still want to see it?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
Lou was very sure. "I don't want to exist just out of fear forever!" he said quietly. "There's no curse, but still... I don't want all of this anymore, Harper." The dragon had no idea how deeply rooted these words were. "I don't want this anymore! Nothing."
"All right!" Harper kissed Lou's cheek again, then stood up and took a few steps back. Lou couldn't see the transformation, but he watched as Harper's bright colors gave way to a dazzling white. The Mighty Dragon snorted, and Lou forced himself not to look away. Fear didn't disappear just because you wanted it to.
"Come!" Lou reached out his trembling hands to Harper. "Come!"
Harper lowered his head cautiously, and Lou was startled when he recognized his friend's mouth, but he didn't dodge. Instead, he touched Harper's muzzle while trembling.
