15. Destiny
*Ikyn has a mother?!* He laughs at what I can assume is the shock on my face. *I mean... Of course he has a mother. That's how he was born. Wait... Was he born from an egg like a dragon or...? If his dad was a dragon - we've all learned from history - then was his mother human?* My mind is reeling. I can't keep up with my own train of thought. I feel dizzy. A light at the end of the tunnel comes into view. It's so overwhelming, I have to squint my eyes to try to focus on what's through the tunnel. *Didn't Ikyn say we're **IN** a mountain? Where is the light coming from?* Looking to the sides of the walls, the fairy lights dim to nothing. It makes sense they may not be needed as whatever we're walking towards is absolutely blinding.
Walking into the light, I close my eyes for a moment. The brightness is too much for me to take. It's like looking at the sun, but much more intense. While I cover my face with my hands, still feeling the light to be too much only to keep my eyes closed, Ikyn gently sets me down for me to stand on my own two feet. He steadies me with his hand, lightly resting his palm on the small of my back and taking hold of my elbow. "Eira," he says at a regular volume, "I think it's okay to open your eyes now." I drop my hands and peek my eyes open. He's right - and I am so happy I listened to him. The view is incredible.
Within the depths of the mountain, we're standing in a lush oasis. A very large, healthy oak tree stands tall in the center of a bowl of grass. And we're standing like little crumbs at the edge of that bowl. Underbrush surrounds the center tree. Centaurs are running around, weaving through the trees and bushes, trying to catch various insects and flower petals floating in an unblowing breeze. A waterfall at the otherside of the cave pools down into a lagoon with mermaids jumping out like dolphins, or sitting on the rocks talking amongst themselves. None of them seem to notice we're even here. A couple butterflies fly towards us. As they get closer, I realize they're not butterflies at all, but fairies! Does that mean the other insects aren't insects? What about the flowers? One of the fairies with blue wings of a red spotted purple butterfly extends her hands to me. Looking back at Ikyn, he nods. His smile gives me the reassurance to accept the fairy's welcome. I extend my right hand, expecting the fairy to sit on my finger. Instead, she takes the tip of my index finger and starts pulling me. Watching my step, I follow her down the hill of grass towards the middle of the magic. Fairies of all colors fly around us. Some with butterfly wings, dragonfly wings, and ladybug wings. Some looking like the flower petals confirm my earlier speculation.
I turn around to find Ikyn making his way towards me, speaking with another fairy. As Ikyn approaches, the fairies in his path disperse. Only the one who brought me with her stays close. She sits on my shoulder, using my braid as leverage to keep her balance with my movements. I look to her and smile. The small details of her face are stunning. She is rather beautiful. Her eyes seem to glow with light of baby blue, complimenting the gradient blue of her wings. Her skin is black, as if her body were the body of an actual butterfly. Otherwise, she does have mundane features.
Ikyn nods to the fairy on my shoulder. She makes sounds similar to that of the jingle in a baby rattle made of silver. It is as delicate as she is. Directing his attention to me, Ikyn says, "Her name is Tansy. She says she wants to keep you." He replies back in her own tongue before adding to me, "I told her I must bring you back with me, but you will return." Tansy stands on my shoulder, leans towards my face, then flies off.
I wave to her. "I like Tansy, she seems sweet."
"Be careful with that one," Ikyn says in a low voice only for me to hear, "The darker the color, the more tricky they are." He gestures to the large tree, raising his voice to a normal volume, "This is the *exact* birthplace of all magical beings. One of your duties as Dragon Queen will be assisting here. Making sure all are comfortable coexisting." Leaning closer to whisper in my ear, he adds, "The nymphs and druids will be most of your worries, as they are all narcissists. But you'll get the hang of it." Winking, he starts to walk away from me. I follow him, suddenly nervous as I hadn't seen any of the creatures he spoke of before. Suddenly, one of the smaller trees nearby waves at me. Still waving, before my very eyes, it transforms into a woman. Her skin of tree bark and the leaves falling down her back as if they were her hair. I wave back, not wanting to upset her.
We walk up the other side of the bowl to a new tunnel. It's not as dark as the one from the entrance. This one has various crystals gleaming against the rock walls. Reflections from the crystals dance in shimmering lights. I feel more calm now that I know what’s in the mountain. The atmosphere of the birthplace of magical beings is peaceful. It’s very different on the outside, in the dragonlands. A subtle white glow brightens a large cavern, noting the end of the crystal tunnel. Ikyn takes a deep breath, looks down at me, and gives me a reassuring smile. He stops walking, extending his elbow for me to take. “Are you ready?”
I accept his arm, feeling his tension. “Ready for what?”
“To step into your destiny,” an older womanly voice replies.
Looking away from Ikyn, I see a woman dressed in ancient Savea’s beige gown with white lace. Silver and diamond flowers are embedded around the hem. White shaggy hair falls in waves, covering her face. Hooded pale eyes, set buried within their sockets, stare intensely into my own eyes. Fair, leathery skin elegantly compliments her high cheekbones. I’m sure her smile means well, but she seems just short of a witch. Her face, though, seems familiar.
“Majesty Iliyana Savea?” I ask in a gasp.
Her genuine laugh almost comes off unsettling.
Ikyn takes his turn to speak. “This is the 47th Dragon Queen, accepted dragon name as Vaemrath, my mother. Mother, this is-“
“Princess Eira Savea,” Vaemrath finishes, nodding to acknowledge my status. I bow in curt reply, but she continues, “Child, it is your destiny to take my place, as it was mine many years ago.”
“My Queen,” I decide to test my luck, “my most humble of apologies if I speak out of turn, but we all thought you have been dead for… Well, for about 300 years now." All of our history books say she died to the previous Dragon King, never to be seen again.
Vaemrath laughs again. “Savea, humans know nothing of the real truth. I wish I had your position before I was claimed Vaemrath.”
“Claimed Vaemrath?” I repeat, looking to Ikyn for answers.
Ikyn does not speak. Vaemrath closes her eyes and her wiry hair writhes like live snakes, but glows an incandescent white. A strong wind only effecting her surrounds her like a tornado. I watch as her frame contorts and grows. Her pale skin transforms into glowing, purple scales. Vaemrath's ivory eyes sit tightly within her dragon's thorny, narrow skull. Two amethyst growths sit atop her head, just above tiny, curved ears. Several rows of tendrils run down the sides of each jaw line. Her small nose has two wide, warped nostrils. A small horn rests on her chin. A few sharp teeth poke out from the side of her mouth. A wide neck runs down from her head, into a bulky body. A row of small spikes runs down her spine. The coarse skin of her underbelly is a shade lighter than the rest of her body. She stands poised and towering on her hind legs. Each limb has 3 digits, all of which ending in thorny talons seemingly made of amethyst shards. Her wings are tucked, but I can see they are scythe-shaped. Curved talons grow from each, ending like giant scythes. Her graceful tail ends in a sharp, arrowhead shaped tip and is covered in the same curved scales as her body. “Accept this change, Eira,” her voice sounds in my head, “when you accept this change, you too, will be one with the dragons."