Locked Legacies

Chapter XXII: Awaited and lost lives

 Augustus' back was against the tree trunk, his eyes closed, and arms crossed as he waited for Faylinn; despite his promises to his mother, he had fallen asleep in his office, his neck bent to the side as he restlessly snoozed on the desk. Logically, he was now exhausted, unable to unproductively stand as he waited for her.

"Good morning, Gus," she teased, given that it was the middle of the afternoon.

He shot his eyes open, dragging himself to follow her quick pace; she was especially excited that day because she knew he'd teach him to fly a dragon. Had any promises been made? No. But she wouldn't accept 'no' for an answer.

"Today, you will teach me to fly," she stated, "And not figuratively, in a poetic way, but literally."

After months of riding dragons together, he knew it was time for her to learn. Even though those moments were, in a way, intimate, the time had come to let them go. Besides, she had been insisting for a long time now, and he couldn't live with himself knowing he might never be able to make her dream come true, especially with the whole conflict with Phobrakha Kingdom; who knew what would happen?

"Alright," he nodded shortly, a half-smile being drawn on his face at her prideful grin, "So, you will now sit at the front."

"Geez, what an honor," she placed her hand on her heart for dramatic effect before hopping onto the creature.

"To make him go faster, gently tap your heel against his side; to stop him, pull from the reins; to make him ascend, just say 'up', and 'down' to descend," he went through the basics before walking to stand in front of Foggy, patting his side affectionately. Once the dragon's attention had been caught by his presence, it lowered its head, looking to meet its owner's eyesight. The man's forehead was narrow against the mystical animal's one, and the breath coming out of its nostrils was warm against his torso and legs. "Be gentle, it is not the time to try anything new or be funny, alright? Take care of her," he whispered, and the creature purred, "Thank you."

The girl admired the scene from above, watching Foggy close its lavender lanterns and slightly shove him forward with its nose; even though she did not know, he was encouraging the man to spend time with the person he knew was constantly on his mind. Nevertheless, her heart got warm at the connection he shared with him, how they had managed to develop a friendship despite speaking different languages.

"May I?" He checked once he was already seated behind her, looking to wrap his arms around her waist. She nodded shortly, ignoring the shiver running down her spine at the feeling of his grip; the warm breath on his neck didn't really contribute to the cause either. But she cleared her throat and proceeded.

"I've been ready for months," her emphasis made him chuckle, consequently drawing a smile on her face at the sound of his light laughter; she hadn't noticed how much she had been missing his beaming energy those last few days, in which he had been heavy hearted.

"Good, don't be nervous," he reassured, unconsciously placing his palm on her upper back which, honestly, didn't calm her already quick-paced heart, "Foggy will be obedient today, right?" his voice became louder so the creature would hear.

Faylinn scratched its neck, "When is he not?" And the creature purred in delight, its tail swaying from side to side in joy. With that, its whole body started moving by inertia, making both riders hold onto the reins for dear life.

That's when Augustus exclaimed an "up!" with a hint of mischief in his voice. Except for the basic commands, flying was instinctive; it was hard to put into words for the trainee, but there was a connection between the dragon and the rider that made every single flight pleasant and natural; theory was half as wise as practice.  Both species had been created to coexist, like humans with every being of nature, so there was an underlying union between them, an instinct to work together, hence his confidence when he made the animal fly into the air.