A Choice

I stood there by the platform looking at Grumpy and Shane and thinking about what to say next. I don't want to end up like my grandfather, not even a corpse from the force of falling to the ground. You see, I got my nickname because I was the best and fastest in my generation and beyond. But even with such talent, I'm not ready to soar into the sky again like I used to.

 "Sky is calling Sparrow, hello are you with us?"

Grumpy asked as Shane silently looked at me like a child.

"Sorry, I thought about something.. You know.. I'm not ready to fly that ship again."

 I said aiming at a very famous ship from that academy that broke all the records.

"And I didn't ask you, what's the fuss that you came all the way just for me?"

 I asked a bit confused. Grumpy and Shane's expressions changed slightly when I asked them that. I noticed that they were a bit scared and unsure, but then Shane spoke.

"Sparrow.. it's bad, very bad. Our southern borders have been breached and the elves are already at the threshold of our academy. They have done a lot of damage to the surrounding population and as we can see so far, they do not plan to stop there... the fate of the entire nation is at stake."

Said Grumpy with a serious expression on his face.I then thought to myself how all this time I had lived my life in ignorance of all this while my former colleagues and friends from the academy were dying in fierce battles. I felt like a waste and a failure at that moment. 

How could I enjoy a warm home and a peaceful life all this time while the nation is seriously threatened? I began to reminisce about my days at the academy and the day I flew over Amale. That feeling of adventure, excitement and fear when you fly at high speed and the wind blows so hard that it's hard to catch air.

Then I remembered my grandfather and his words before he left for his last flight.

"Follow the paths of the wind, no matter where they take you." 

 His voice echoed in my head. And then I knew that I would not be able to hide from the outside life forever.

 "Shane!, Grumpy!"

I exclaimed loudly, looking directly at them. They flinched and looked at me in amazement, then I told them

 "I accept your invitation as well as the invitation of the entire academy and the nation, from today we are again colleagues and comrades-in-arms."

They looked at me in surprise for a few seconds, which seemed like minutes to me, they loudly shouted

 "Long live the Arnes Dynasty!!"

After that, we started preparations for the long journey back, Grumpy and Shane were tinkering around the ship while I was getting ready for the long journey. I knew this was probably the last time I would be in my small, warm home.

I took my grandfather's watch that he gave me when I was still seven years old. I went to the basement and began to slowly descend the dusty wooden ladder that led down. As I descended a huge cobweb landed on my face.

"I should have cleaned the basement more often."

I thought to myself as I brushed the cobwebs off my face. When I finally got down the ladder I started opening trunks and sacks of food. In the end, I managed to collect a whole sack of food. There was meat, fruit, vegetables... supplies for at least a week.

On my way out I took one more look at the house from the inside and then slowly closed the door and locked it. Shane and Grumpy shouted from the ship to hurry up already once, I started to walk towards them and boarded the ship.

"How does it feel to be on a real ship again and not on that boat of yours?"

Grumpy said with a smug on his face.

 "It feels... good."

I answered a little uncertainly. In the process, Shane drove the ship off the platform and announced the departure.

The ship began to soar into the air as Shane created a small burst of fire to awaken the crystal to fly again. Grumpy took the rudder in his hands and began to handle it. I picked up my things again and moved them to the room that Shane showed me.

 I walked a little through the interior of the ship and looked around. In my room hung the flag of the Arnes Flight Academy as well as the flag of the Arnes Dynasty. A yellow flag with a symbol of wings and two swords stood above my bed, the room consisted of one bed, the wardrobe on the right side immediately next to it. A shelf with a group of books next to the door and at the end of the room, a round window that offered a view of the endless blue sky.

 From the tiring day, my eyelids started to droop slowly and slowly, so I decided to lie down in bed and take a nap for a while.