Yspaddaden - Chapter 9

 Cara

Tabari, College.

Cara woke abruptly, though not violently.

Her eyes opened, and stayed that way. She stared at the ceiling for a full minute, as was her practice, and then swung her feet to the side, bringing them down onto the cold floor. She flung the blanket to the side and glanced over at her sister, lying on the bed next to her. Cherise lay prone on her stomach, snoring loudly. Her blanket lay half on her and half hung to the floor, her bare feet sticking out into the cold air. She seemed unaffected by the cold temperatures. Cara could feel the frost trying to seep in through the windows, attempting to conquer the land that had been denied it throughout the night. Cara stood and, though the cold stone floor bit at her bare feet, she ignored it and walked over to the window. She traced her finger against the pane and created a small man, dancing about. She placed a hat on his head and a stick of fire in his hand. Now he looked exactly like the Dancing Minstrel of children's tales.

There was a thump, a grunt, and a smile on Caras face. Cherise had wakened. Cara turned to see her sister lying on the floor, still half asleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She sat there for half a second more, before realising where she was and leaping up with a cry. She hissed and cried out as her frozen feet danced on the floor, then finally leaped up to the soft bed, where she wrapped her legs up in the blanket. She sat shivering for a moment before noticing Cara. Cherise glanced down at her sisters feet, firmly planted on the floor. She looked up and they locked eyes.

"Why?"

Cara did not need a translation. She and her twin sister had been inseparable since birth and they shared many things. Among one of those was a proclivity to understand exactly what the other meant, even if given only a few, or sometimes zero, words. She shrugged and walked solidly back to her own bed.

"I find I strengthen myself when I do not indulge in activities that hinder or weaken my natural functions."

Cherise merely nodded and pulled her blanket closer.

"And I find that I am more comfortable, and therefore, more happy, when I indulge in my weaknesses."

Cara sat upon her bed but did not pull her blanket up. She crossed her legs as her sister did.

"Sometimes, one must needs be weak, to then become strong."

"And the weak, though appearing strong, will nonetheless still be weak."

They both smiled at the lines that they had recited to each other every morning for the past thirty-nine years. A sort of ritual between them. After doing so, they both slid out of bed and began their morning rituals.

Cara walked over to the washroom and poured a basin of water. She took a small piece of homemade soap and laid it next to the basin. After rinsing her hair, she began to rub the soap into it and wash it out. She had her ritual all set up, going through it with rigid, absentminded determinacy. Drawing her purple/brown hair over her left shoulder, she rubbed and rinsed, rubbed and rinsed. Then again on her left. Then on top. After all the soap was gone, she dried her hair and walked over to her closet of clothes. She reached in and picked out a simple blue shift, brown overdress, blue leggings, and wool socks. She tried to never wear shoes, though in the winter she was forced to don the socks. After exchanging her nightwear for them, she walked back out into the bedroom. She could hear her sister splashing her water about and Cara smiled. She then walked over to the window that opened up to a balcony and pulled open the door. She was hit with a blast of freezing air and she stopped, closing her eyes in the cold. After acclimating herself somewhat, she stepped out on to the balcony. It was not quite cold enough for snow, but she could tell it would probably come within the week. The dawn was grey, not drearily so, but bitter, with a hint of romance in the frost air. She glanced down to her right, over the wall that her room overlooked. The wall was a complete circle, traveling maybe five to six miles around. The tower that her room sat in lay directly over the wall, and her window straddled it. To her right was the ground, not ten feet below. The valley stretched for miles, ending at the horizon, nothing in sight save farmlands and a road. The tower did not seem too high from the ground, and it wasn't on that side. It wasn't until one looked to the left when the wonders began. For there lay the City of the Kind. The Library as it was called by most people, or College. The vast reaches being underground, hidden by secret tunnels and caves, this was the one spot where the splendor of the City could actually be seen from above ground. The ground dropped away to reveal a pit that had giant walls, a hundred feet high at least. The pit was dotted by holes that led to the tunnels, at varying spots and heights. The pit was awe inspiring. Though no one but the Kind and Wizards had ever laid eyes on it. The wall encircled it completely, and no one had ever tried to breach the wall. To get to the City, one had to travel for a full week over the vast, yet unforgiving landscape that surrounded it in all directions. And on top of that, there were never less than fifteen or so Pairs living in the Library. And this place could easily be defended by less than five.

Cara looked and noticed that no one was out in the area that was exposed to the weather at this time. It was usually used as a training ground, students staging mock battles and flying back and forth. Though it seemed that no one wanted to venture out into the biting air at this time. Even Cara had to admit that it was quite cold. She backed up and closed the door behind her, breathing out a stream of frosty breath that could be seen in the warm room. Such a vigorous morning! She then walked over to the foot of her bed and opened up a trunk that lay there, pulling out a large book. She had a class in a few hours and she still had not read the required text that was expected of her. She flopped down on the bed and flipped open the book. Elvish words leapt up at her and she groaned. She was never very good at foreign languages. And Salayka was a tricky one. She summoned her courage and began to read.

Cherise

Cherise followed her sisters example and headed straight to her private washroom. But the first thing she did before washing her hair was remove her cumbersome nightgown. Walking about in nothing but her underwear, she began her morning rituals. Pouring water into the basin, she splashed her entire body wet, dripping onto the floor. After shaking off the shock of the cold water, she rinsed her hair once with the soap, then let it sit to dry. Unlike her sisters long brown hair, Cherise cropped her purple/blonde hair short. She found it was much easier to maintain that way. She rubbed her hand through it vigorously a couple of times to sling the excess water away. Then she crossed over to the closet that housed her clothes. She pulled out a pair of red pants and a yellow shirt. A red longsleeve undershirt and blue boots were added. After pulling everything on, she felt much warmer. She glanced over to the window and shivered just at the sight of the frost forming there. Thankfully the College was one of the most well funded places, and could afford glass windows where they were needed. She could not imagine having to live here if all they had protecting them against the frigid wind was a pair of poorly made wooden shutters. She glanced at herself in the mirror that hung on the inside of the closet door. People who did not know them would always assume that Cara and Cherise were alike in everyway. Simply because they looked alike? Cherise laughed. That was the only thing they had in common! Different hair colour, different style, different likes and dislikes. Cara was the more quiet one and Cherise the one prone to outbursts. No one who knew them well could ever call them identical. Even their hair, apart from the purple streaks they both shared, were different colours!

Cherise reached into a small box that lay on a small shelf in the closet and took out a large earring. The jewelry was in the shape of a Dragon, and when in her ear, wound from the tail at the bottom and the head peeked over the top of her ear, piercing it in two places. It was the one piece of adornment that she treasured the most. Most Riders sported nothing, or at the very least simple studs. Hoops and chains tended to get caught in the air and flaps of clothing.

She took one more glance at herself in the mirror and closed the door, exiting the washroom. She saw her sister, sitting on her bed, muttering random elvish words to herself. Cara resented Cherise somewhat her ease at which she completed her school work, and Cherise knew this. She wasn't haughty about it. The schooling at the College had always come easy to her. But it was Cara that was better at the training, flying and fighting. So they helped each other, Cherise tutoring her sister when needed and Cara being extremely patient when trying to show Cherise a new way to hold her crossbow. It was a symbiosis that both had become comfortable with.

Right now though, Cherise had no patience when it came to schoolwork. She hurried over to the bed and bounced down next to Cara. Cara gave a grunt of annoyance which Cherise ignored. She simply reached over and closed the book that held her sisters attention.

"Let's get out of here. I haven't seen our companion in days. I'm sure he's lonely by now."

"He's not lonely. He has his new friend, Hero, to keep him company."

"No one can give him companionship like we can, you know this. And as much as I love you sister, I am about to go crazy stuck in the room with you for one more day. Now, let's go before I drag you with me."

Cara's response was to swiftly place a hand under Cherise's leg and deftly flip her over onto the floor. Cara looked down on her as she responded.

"And I'm pretty sure that you could never lay a hand on me in combat, even if you were in dire need. I have studying to do."

Cherise lay her hands on the bed and rested her chin on her arm.

"You mean for the Salayka test?"

"Yes, and it's the last one. So please, I need time to study." She rolled over and lay with her back to Cherise.

"I'll do your test for you if you come with me."

It took Cara a full minute to respond, but she finally rolled back over and looked at Cherise.

"The entire test?"

Cherise nodded. She could see her sister visibly thinking about the prospect, but she eventually shook her head in finality.

"No, I want to finish this myself. Thank you."

"I've done half your work for you in that class this year. It's only fair that I finish out my hard work. If we fly around the pit, the wind wont be so cold."

Cherise shook her head one more time.

"It's cheating."

"Every teacher here knows us to be virtually identical. Most of them can't even tell us apart, despite our hair. We are basically the same person. I see nothing wrong with it. And it's not like we haven't done it before."

Cara hesitated this time. She glanced over at the window.

"Well, I guess I can take a break from my studying. And if I happen to accidentally leave my test lying about and someone were to vandalize it, I don't see how that's my fault."

Cherise smiled.

"Now you're talking! Grab your coat and let's get out of here!"

Cara slowly shimmied her way off the bed.

"Coat? No thanks. I'd actually welcome the cold right now. I'm still not quite awake."

"You never are. Let's go!"

Cara followed her sister out the door and they both began to jog down the hallway with excitement.

Yosh

Yosh woke violently, though not abruptly.

He wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was the dream that he couldn't now remember. Maybe it was the venison he had eaten the night before. Had it gone bad? Maybe it was the cold. Whatever the reason, he found his head banging roughly against the stone and his body flipping off of his perch and falling toward the floor below. Fifty feet below. He did not panic. Once he realised what was going on, he curled up his legs, tasted the air, felt for the currents, and then spread his wings.

They jerked against the frosty air and immediately found the correct air pocket that he had felt. It jerked his body upward and his tail flew out behind him to make sure that he wouldn't flip completely over and dash his head against the rocks. He had known Dragons that had forgotten to use their tails at the right moment and died in the process. His tail, though pointed as most Dragon's were, had a small, extra spike that poked upward. It didn't do much good when flying, but it made him quite good at the popular sport the Kind simply called Tailfighting. It occurred when two Dragons would turn their backs on each other and fight with their tails, as if using swords. It was a fight that was only done among other, respected Dragons. Turning ones back to an opponent was considered a cowardly act, and that style of fighting was reserved for when ones honor was in danger.

He angled his wings and pointed his snout toward the sky, causing him to soar up and out. He aimed for the opposite side of the pit and, when reached, flew so close to the edge that he was able to grab hold of it with his feet and push upward, causing him to rocket toward the dark sky. It was morning, but the frost and clouds blocked the sunlight so that it appeared later in the day. He was fully awake now. The frost began to build up on his wings, yet he flew higher. He relished the cold, and felt alive each winter. He couldn't wait for it to snow. Flying in the snow was exhilarating.

As he reached the apex of his climb, he twisted around and pointed his nose toward the ground. He began to pick up speed, and the flakes of water that had formed into small bits of ice began to pierce his eyes, making him squint. He did not close his first pair of translucent eyelids, deciding instead to keep his eyes free, baring them to the weather. They started to sting and a few tears ran down his scaly cheeks. They sparkled in the dim light and reflected his purple scales. As he approached the pit, he began to let up, angling his wings so that he could pull out of the dive safely. There were some, older Dragons that could make a dive like that, then land with a tremulous thud on the ground. He had not yet been daring enough to try such a stunt.

As he coasted over the compound, he could faintly hear his name being called from one of the wall sections. The wall that ringed the pit was wide enough for a Dragon to sit comfortably on, for many was the time that spectators came to watch the mock battles that took place there. He glanced down and noticed a pair of humans, standing on the battlements, waving and calling his name. His sharp eyes could just make out the shiny purple streaks in the girls hair, and knew them for who they were. He couldn't help but show off now.

He turned once more to fly alongside the wall, then banked so that he was flying directly over top it, following its path. The girls stood two sections away from him. He touched down on top of the wall, pushing off with his feet, bounding high into the air. He catapulted over the top of one of the towers that sat in the wall and twisted in midair, somersaulting. He touched down on the next section of wall and leaped again, attempting to replicate the move a second time. But he misjudged the distance and his spiked tail clipped the top of the tower. It wasn't much, a few shingles fell off into the pit, but it was enough to throw him off balance. His head hit first, face smashing into the stone. He flipped over onto his back, wings flapping all about, feet scrabbling, trying to find a hold. All he heard was panicked squeals from the girls, and a yelp of frustration from his own mouth. After he stopped bouncing on the wall he found his footing and pushed himself to stand up. Then turned to his companions.

Both of them were on the stone floor, curled up against the wall. Cara gave him a look of disapproval, while Cherise's face showed nothing but laughter.

"What were you trying to do, impress us? You know, as much as I love you, I don't really go for two ton guys with wings. I'm more of a human kinda girl."

Cara glanced at her sister in agitation.

"Be quite Cherise. Are you hurt?"

Yosh shook his head after mentally examining himself.

"No, I think I'm alright. My pride is the only thing that got damaged."

Cara began running her hands over his outstretched wings, checking to make sure what he said was truth. Cherise stood by and watched with a smirk.

"You know, I'm not sure I want to be Rider to such a clumsy Dragon. Are you sure you can guarantee my safety while in flight? What if a beautiful elf happens to be walking below? Are you then going to turn us over in to the sky to try and win her heart with your aerials?"

Yosh just snorted smoke in her direction as Cara finished with his wings.

"Cherise! He didn't mean to fall. It was an accident." She looked at the Dragon. "However, I think we may need a training session later to work on that . It might actually be possible to turn it into a good attack move, if we can perfect it."

"Transforming my bumblings into fighting moves. Only you would think of such a thing Cara."

Cara smiled sheepishly and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's my pleasure. Now, do me and my sister have to ask for a ride, or are you going to fake some injury just to get a rub down?"

"When have I…I never…why…!" The Dragon kept on rambling nothings as the two twins winked at each other and climbed on top of his back. They sat as they always did, Cara in-between his third and fourth spikes, and Cherise nestled just behind her, arms around her sisters waist. Yosh was still rambling as Cara gave him a firm pat on the neck. He protested, but shuffled forward to set his forelegs against the side of the wall.

And then, with a push, they were airborne.