The Ice Queen

Our Past

Cassian

When I was a child, my father would explain to me what it meant to be the high king of the Dragonborn. He would ensure that I knew what connected all of us among the Ancients, not just our rule and power, but our connection to nature itself. We are the bridge between the elements and the people that live among them.

I've forgotten what makes me a Dragonborn. I've packed away what makes us Ancients, fearing what the world around me has become. But she has awakened that in me once more, as she did when she wandered into my camp as a child. And as she did when she was brought into my castle as a woman.

I feel the same effect she had on my men, the ones that left my side because they saw in her what I failed to see. They saw her as more than the Ikniri that wiped out our people. They saw her as I see her now, the bridge between our worlds. She is the key to a better future with not only hers but my people. And I almost missed that.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts as the sound of her footsteps echoes over the cliffside.

"Neytiri!"

She ignores my warning, blurring past me over the cliffside. Her screams fill the air on the way down as she falls parallel to the waterfall, splashing into the natural pool below. I quickly move to the edge of the cliff searching the water for her when she breaks the surface, her excited laughter drifting to the top of the cavern.

A laugh escapes me as I watch her float on her back, glee radiating from her every pore. We came to this island to deter her power and get her away from the stress of being on Brineau. But she's been exploring the island every day with fervor since our flight. For the first time since she awakened, I see no traces of fear.

She embodies what it means to be an Ancient.

I have lost my way, pushing down my instincts to appease humanity. But her, from the moment she awakened never wanted to do such a thing. And I feel like a fool for trying to ask that of her, especially now that I see how much freedom is affecting her power. She's had no slip-ups and no blackouts. It's almost as if the magic coursing through her veins has leveled out, not trying to escape any longer.

I watch her curiously as she places her hands on the surface of the water, creating a blanket of ice thick enough for her to crawl out of the water and sit on it. She lays back on the ice as it floats, following the current of the river closing her eyes in bliss.

A laugh escapes me as I watch her, her words once again standing out in my mind.

"This is what it is to be free... this is what I want for us. For all of us."

I didn't fully understand her words when she kept trying to convince me that I have changed. I am the king of the skies, I always will be. I am the high king of the Dragonborn. But I haven't given in to my true form in such a long time, I forgot what that freedom felt like. I forgot what joy and carefree bliss flying above the clouds brought. Flying with her made me realize she was right.

I have lost myself.

So, I've placed our time on the island in her hands. And every day that comes with that, she has reminded me of what it is to be an Ancient. Every day with her has been an adventure. And although I bought this island, I've never explored it in such depth. Neytiri has opened my eyes to what this place truly is other than somewhere to hide. It's somewhere to live.

I originally bought this island for my people. But the looming threat of humanity and their weapons deterred my decision, and I placed them on the same island as Neytiri's, separating them. Seeing her like this and the way she forces me to embrace it as well, I once again see this as a home for our people.