Wings of Fire: Saguaro Legends

Chapter 7

     Gust and Breeze spoke in hushed whispers as they compared notes on their scrolls.

      Gust nodded to Breeze, and the two turned to Crimson and Saguaro.

       "You two have both made complete recoveries." said Gust, "You're free to go."

         Saguaro let out a delighted gasp that she was finally healed.

       "Both of us?" Crimson's basil green eyes widened.

        "Both of you." Breeze nodded.

        "Wow, thank you so much!" Saguaro smiled.

         "You're welcome." Gust replied, "Go ahead and meet us downstairs when you're ready to leave." He and Breeze continued to walk down the staircase in the corner.

           "I can't believe it!" Saguaro plopped backwards onto the cot, "We're acctually uninjured again."

            "Yeah." Crimson muttered, scratching behind his ear nervously, uncharacteristic emotion spreading across his face, "Hey, would you... maybe like to come back to my home with me? You said you didn't have anywhere to go, and there's plenty of room back at my Mom's place."

            "Oh my moons." Saguaro whispered, she had never known such unobliged generosity, even at the palace... the palace.

        "Uh, Crimson, there's something I need to tell you about me first."

          He blinked, "What is it?"

         "I'm not acctually one of Burn's soldiers." she confessed, "My mother is Blaze. I ran away from the palace at the start of the war, because I didn't want to be at the center of the war."

           "Seriously?" Crimson was reasonably shocked by this revelation.

         "I know, it sounds crazy," she shook her head, "but it really is the truth."

          The silence chilled Saguaro's bones more than the frozen wind.

          "I believe you." He said.

          "Really?" Saguaro wasn't even sure that she believed him, "Are you sure that you're not just pitying a crazy dragon?"

           "Yes, I just- I know what that's like...a little bit." He said, "The truth is, I don't want to fight in this war, either. You see, my father was at the top of the army under a couple different queens, until he was killed by an escaping prisoner. My brother practically leapt out of his scales to follow in his footsteps. I just didn't want my family to take me as lazy or disrespectful, so I joined the army beside him, and... here I am."

       Again, silence.

     "So... do you still want to come with me?"