Chapter 18 – Crystalline love

As I see Esterine fall on her knees, letting go of Line and pointing her gun forward, I race up from the floor, pushing her hand above, throwing her gun away, and pushing her to the floor.

Two minutes…

I pick Line, hugging him close, and transform, gliding above. Ground floor, the door… outside, up and above. Wasn't a hard task for a blue dragon, I was trained for such a thing.

But… what next? It had barely been a minute… but now I understood that I didn't know what to do.

What happens now?

In between the blue sky… I hold the person I love, in my hands. Looking so… fragile, but not more than me beating heart.

"Tony… just throw me up high. Just before the bomb explodes."

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm not just going to let you die. Just let me get this thing off."

I try to hold the bomb in between my claws, and try to… what was this weird wirings?

"It's ok, you'll do just fine alone. In guarding the castle."

"Just shut up and let me, and stay silent, please."

What do I… if I pluck it, what if it blasts? Maybe I should cut some wiring, right?

"The castle will be safe even if it is only you guarding," Line coughs.

"I don't care about the castle guarding. Just stop talking. Let me concentrate."

"Then why else do you care to detach the bomb?"

"Because I care for you! Now shut up already."

I feel tears on my face, heating me up, from the cold breeze here.

Maybe… maybe the breeze will stop the blast. Make it lesser .. painful. And we could get Line to…

"That's new, but you can't succeed," Line scoffs.

"Just shut up, no more questions. Let me just give a try now."

"It won't just come off, the lady was smart."

"I cannot afford to lose you!" I scream.

It was… impossible to tell, as there is no such thing, but my human-form was sitting down, given up, inside me.

"This is my end truly, you really won and can live longer… just as you said you'd outlive me," Line laughs.

"Just shut up already."

"You can't save me."

"Then I won't save myself either."

I just hold Line by his shoulders, right in front of my chest, almost hugging him, but not letting him see me.

"Go… please," Line whispers.

"And why do you care?"

"Because… I love you," Line says. "Now go… please."

How long was left? I hope there was enough time.

"And so do I," I put him in front of me. "So I'll stay."

I look at the timer reaching below 5, and hug Line, closer to myself.

I count the last moments, while embracing him for each of it, tighter… but not breaking him.

The explosion buzzes ear… but the wind… oh so cold and… loud in its silence. And this moment with him this way… helps numb the pain.

Death was… gentle. Like breeze surrounding me, like an armour, to protect from the pain… still being here… the afterlife must be here… but… will I be reunited with Line here?

"Busted… the bomb… and you," Line laughs.

How could he joke about such a thing? That was such a Line thing to do.

I open my eyes… and find his ever so beautiful… and healed self. Wounds weren't a thing here… but I'll stay by his side and… protect him from anything thrown out way.

"So… we are in heaven. As the background is not red or fiery or something. And… well, you," I chuckle, still feeling a little teary.

"Were you just so dumb always?" Line sighs.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a red dragon, genius!"

"Oh… shit! You jerk! How dare you! You… can't die… a bomb… oh lord! Seriously? You knew all along?"

"I'm surprised that you weren't even scratched though. But I didn't expect you to hug me that way, scared the shit out of me. What if you had gotten hurt? Jeez…"

I transform back and start kissing him. But he transforms after the first few seconds, when we start falling but… ugh, dragon mouths were huge, where do I kiss him?

"Okay. Okay… relax," Line holds me in his hands, and finds my messy self. "Hey… I'm sorry. But… don't you think it was about time we finally were serious to each other, than always joke about… everything?"

"I love you…" I gasp, and whimper. "And I will… fucking… kill you."

"Mam… I was the one who took this huge step to make this happen. And this is how I'm treated? Honestly, you don't know how much it took for me to stop that kissing, so that we don't fall off, you crazy… person."

I giggle. "You had to… I wasn't going to."

"Yeah… very clear that… now let's go back. Who knows, even Aster may have forgotten her dragon lessons, like you."

"Won't be dropping it, would you?" I sigh.

"Drop it…? Why'd I do such a thing?"

"Let's go… you are holding me weird."

"Weird? Says the person who just started kissing me for her life. Sheesh, control, lady…" he nags on and and on.

***

"I mustn't fail," Esterine groans, even when barely staying concious.

"Yes, you will not. You already have," Tarragon smirks.

"Funny, I hoped to kill you before I go down," Esterine laughs.

"No one is dying," Mr. Villers says and injects two injections onto Esterine's neck, at once.

Esterine's smile fades, and she looks at Mr. Villers in horror, "what did you do?"

Mr. Villers waits, and Esterine falls down to the ground, unconscious… or dead.

"Saving as many lives as I can."

"She caused harm to you, and all I can do is apologize to drag you into this," Dad says. "We are at fault. And no sorry would be enough."

"It's alright… this one just gets into heads easily, I know. Just be careful with her," Aster says.

"Oh and try to keep our existence a secret, as much as possible," Fara adds.

"Sure thing, Fara. Just… take care of your people and ours, you know."

Dad, Tar and Aster nod to each other, and Mr. Villers wears an embarrassed, light and fading smile.

"Parz, you pick her up," Mr. Villers just starts walking away.

Dad sighs but… Tar helps him lift Tar. We follow them, as they drop Esterine off on a helicopter, and Tar returns to our side, after Dad silently thanks him.

"Can we trust them in keeping dragons as a secret?" Fara asks me.

"Yes… I didn't even expect him to stop the battle. But, now I do believe he is more than what he looks like. Even after his ultimate military guy thing."

"It will be alright. Parzival may be a strict stubborn ass… but, he can be trusted, as he stands on his words," Tar confirms, while nodding.

"Did you people forget about Line and Tony?" Rusty breaks the ice. "They are fine though."

"How the f-?" Aster asks, and Line (in his dragon-form) drops Tony on the ground, and transforms back.

The military slowly leaves in the planes they had come… taking back the injured… and the dead.

"You guys… alright?" Aster asks in a daze, as the two come towards us.

"Better than the time that lady beat us up," Line sighs.

"I might have to tend to my wounds a bit. But mentally, just fine…" Tony says… Blushing a bit.

"How did she do that?" Rusty asks.

"Well, Tony and I believed that the fight was over, and she just started to attack everyone. We went to stop her, and she just beat us up because Line suggested we give her a 'fair match' because it was two of us. When we were winning, more guys came and helped her, we went down, and they tended for the other dragons."

"All that in a minute's work," Line lets out an embarrassed sigh.

"She did not stab you or something, right? Because poison weapons," Fara says.

"That is the funny part… she did not," Line says.

"How else…?"

"Not human," both Line and Tony say and laugh after looking at each other.

"You two seem to be… friendlier," Aster states.

"Lovers… he proposed me."

"Did he…? Wow… sure is new."

"Not us…" Line says. "Go get the others, Aster. They need you."

***

I look at their faces… they had won this war… we had won this war.

Dragons were strong.

But did that mean we had to always fight?

How many died? And injured… the injured would be fine but… that was… only for the scars. What would happen when their mind gets poisoned too, after this? And they cause the very thing Esterine talked about…

There needs to be no place for Rahambose in this world.

So I stand alone, in between the army of the strongest dragons, just around me. I didn't need my friends' help to talk to them… they'd just listen.

"Everyone," I say, and hear my voice reverb through the castle: the power of this dragon gem sure was something. "You may know me… your incompetent leader. And I wouldn't know you… not much of a successor to my great father."

Dad was the right leader. He really lead the dragons, even the ones who had gone astray.

When dragons were put there to kill Fara, thinking that is how the prophecy would come to an end, when she died… he stopped them, put some mind into them. And protected Fara, until his last breath.

"The war… has stopped. But I can't assure you that the humans won't come back. But I can assure you… that you can rest tonight, knowing that the humans won't harm us now. Maybe someday… but now… is to attend to the injured."

"Lady Flame…" somebody says, and I look at them. "We can't let the humans have the upperhand."

"You think we aren't that? Humans? It is their incompetence to not see that all we are is humans… but why should we go with that?"

"Because they see us as monsters… mam."

"Your father asked of this secrecy. We need to maintain it."

"Let's make a base elsewhere. Ashville is no good now."

"Ashville…" I interrupt the comments. "Is where we killed the last of humans who knew about us. And it is the place where we fight humans again… they'll keep coming back."

"Not if we scare them enough," a lady shivering close-by says, while holding what seems to be her child, in her arms.

"If we wage a war too… that means there'll be no end. Until one side dies. This means all those who hate us, don't know us… innocent, kids, all the people who can do great one day… all will be victims. After today, who wants to make someone else the victims again?"

Nobody speaks, but whispers, which I can hear, still continue.

"Rahambose… is going to happen," and as I say this, murmurs turn louder. "If we make an enemy of these… 'humans' as you say, we'll only have more people trying to kill us. Otherwise they'll at least try to stay away from our path, and be eventual or possible allies."

Dad always kept the Rahambose news in the dark. Of course, it wasn't like his age had a Rahambose… only gossips of possible Rahambose among them, which was all Dad had to deal with.

"I can't protect you… but together, we can only get better. Better at being us… the strong, brave… not the heroes, but the people who do the right thing. That is us dragons."

Barely any sound is heard from the people now.

"In battle… we can only protect ourselves. But before that… is when we need to learn to survive," I say, calculating my next words. "Someone once told me… that if you can't do something as simple as eating food with patience… it'll be wasted. So I request you to trust the process… and one day, we shall slay him, if he comes. Whoever comes."

I only see tired and confused faces.

"I, Aster, shall train you. And promise that this way… we'll be stronger than ever. So I call you forward… to grow together. To fight together. To put an end… to this fear. Because in the middle of that battle, when we walk together… is when I can and will protect you."

Slowly, the applause starts: for my sloppy speech. And I just leave them be, after asking them to wait to be tended, and stay strong… without sounding too poetic on it.

"Not bad, I expected a couple more words with incompetence," Fara says, as I reach my friends.

"That was beautiful, Star, good job," Sam says, and hugs me, patting my back.

"Someone? You call your own dad as someone," Fara scoffs.

"Wow… you sure are rude as hell."

"Fine, fine… you did good. Good enough," Fara says, shaking my hand. "But you better not get lazy on that training."

I pull her closer, and hitting her head, hug her.

"Oh, not to forget though… Tony and Line, make sure that they… find the way out well, the military."

Tony lifts her free hand and Line holds it. They just walk hand-in-hand, making me scoff.

"Less romance… don't lose your touch now."

Tony and Line transform.

"Lose touch?" Line asks, and I see something weird…

The two put their heads together, and holding each other's hands-

-Wait, what was happening? Were they doing that?

They lift off, but stay struck to the ground, as something… some kind of a glassy layer forms around them, and covers them whole, while they, in a way… hug each other.

"Guys?" I call out to them, but they don't… they… can't… what even…