章 14: That Day 8 Years Ago (1)
It's a dragon's maternal instinct to hide her eggs once it's laid. No one, not even the dragon rider bound to the dragon knows where the egg is hidden. It's for this reason that the number of dragons keeps dwindling day by day for they're many unhatched eggs that are still lost in Dragonia. This observer will propose an egg hunt, where dragon riders search for these eggs, and grooms them to hatch.
- Dragon Observer's suggestion to the first ever Royalty Council.
EIGHT YEARS AGO
"Happy birthday to you… Happy birthday to you… Happy Birthday to Vinn, the future dragon rider… Happy Birthday to you!"
Vinnandra's family sang as they surrounded her ten-year old self. She beamed as she cut the cake, and then took in everyone—her father, his eyes twinkling from so much pride that he had in her little self, her elder brothers Pete and Fred, their chest puffed from something akin to raw brotherly love, and her elder sister Cleo, staring at the cake with murder in her eyes.
The girl loved birthday cakes more than anything else in the world. She claimed they tasted differently, but Vinn highly doubted that.
All cakes tasted the same to her.
"Can we have the cake now?" Cleo said impatiently and attempted to reach for the perfectly iced white cake but Fred slaps her hands away. Cleo glared at him, sulking.
"I'm older than you, you know that, right?" Her elder sister sassed to Fred who in turn, rolled his eyes.
"Yes, and I'm taller than you." He sassed back.
Vinn wouldn't stop beaming at the hallmark of her life she had just reached. Ten years old… she was officially an adolescent and no longer a child. This meant she had many more opportunities unlocked for her. An opportunity to know their world better and an opportunity to get closer to her dreams of becoming an accomplished Dragon Rider.
"How is it that you seem taller today?" Fred asked her, briefly interrupting her excitement.
"It's the birthday thing." Vinn answered, grinning at her family and they all laughed, the sound tingling her in the toes.
"Your hair is longer too," Pete, their eldest who rarely talked teasesd her, "it's even whiter. Might grow longer than Cleo's if care is not taken."
Everyone at the table let out another healthy round of laughter while Cleo snickered playfully and then resumed her staring contest with the cake. Then the long awaited moment came as their mother, Lady Albridge, entered the room carrying varieties of drinks in a tray.
"Finally!" Cleo cried out as the drinks were placed on the table. She dived for the cake, volunteering to cut it for everyone while their mother only chuckled.
The lady of Albridge took Vinn in and caressed her long, silky hair.
"You look so beautiful my Vi." She complimented Vinn with a nickname only she used in a way that Vinn adored. Vinn grinned and tucked her head by her mothers side. Everyone started talking at the same time although her father was mostly staring at her mother like she was the most beautiful woman in their world. Vinn knew he was not happy that she was hogging her mother's attention—yet again, but for some reasons she felt like she needed to be with her mother today.
Despite the fact that her mother was a stepmother to her siblings, they were surprisingly close. Especially Cleo. Her elder sister was more like her mother's twin in the way they did things together, but they all called her mother regardless. Not for one day had Vinn and her mother felt ostracised by her siblings. And that was unusual in most royal families.
Everything was going fine—the chatter at the table, the joy in just being together as a family, and an opportunity to bond. Cleo was munching on a cake with a huge amount of icing that Vinn literally shivered at the sight of it, Pete and Fred were arguing about the current most powerful dragon and dragon rider, while her father and mother were discussing politics.
Vinn found the latter discussion more endearing, intellectual talks interested her more than anything even at her tender age.
She tugged at her mother's white hair while listening in to the conversation. While her mother was an unbounded, Lady Albridge still commanded the respect of all and sundry in Albridge and even far beyond their castle in the South.
Her mother's influence stretched far to the other lands…a fact that made Vinn admire her mother's capabilities so greatly. When she grew up, she would sure be like her mother…
…even better than her.
Vinn thought this had to be her best birthday ever, that was until the sky outside lost its luster and started to darken.
That was unusual, especially since it was still three o'clock in the afternoon and the sun was just shining brightly a moment ago.
Everyone at the table was startled at the unusual weather change that afternoon, but only one person panicked—her mama. But only Vinn noticed it, the fear-stricken expression her mother wore like her world was about to end.
"Mama," Vinn tugged at her mother's sleeves, "what is happening?" Her small voice asked.
Her mother swallowed visibly, and then glanced down at Vinn who was still curled to her side.
"Vi, mama has to get something. Wait for me, do you hear?" Her mother said, and then left the table hurriedly.
The darkened sky kept getting darker and darker. Her siblings had already ran to the balcony to observe what was happening, while her father the Lord Albridge had summoned his advisors to discuss the unusual phenomenon that was taking place.
"It's an eclipse," Cleo gasped. Vinn too ran to the balcony to see what it could be that was causing an unprecedented weather change.
"What an evil omen!" Fred spat out as they all observed the astronomical change happening. Fred was more of a believer if that made any sense. Vinn too looked up to the sky and her lips parted in surprise at the sight before her.
The sky darkened to a deep indigo, casting an eerie-like twilight across the Albridge lands. The air grew cooler, and shadows appeared, taking on a surreal, elongated quality.
The sun that was normally a radiant orb of light, was now a mere sliver of its former self, a crescent glowing dimly against the darkening sky. Wisps of light flickered around the edges of the moon's shadow, creating a halo of dark ethereal beauty.
Birds ceased their chirpings, and the world grew hushed, as if holding its breath in anticipation. The landscape took on a surreal quality, bathed in an otherworldly half-light.
As the eclipse reached its peak creating a total eclipse, a chill ran down Vinn's spine. She felt a strange sense of awe and insignificance, as if witnessing an important part of what would become history.
It was at that moment that Vinn felt an unexplainable urge to run and find her mother. And run she did. She didn't stop, not to take a breath or to give her little legs a rest… she ran like her life depended on it.
Because it did.
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