The Fragile Dragons

Title: Three Pivotal Moments of Young Yumi's Life
Author: Wade
Word count: 2097

 

Part 1: Beginnings

Yumi ran down the back hallway of the family manor as fast as her five year old legs could carry her. In her small right hand she held tightly onto a large ring of iron keys. Like a Tengu, she thought. I'm as fast as Talon Silverwing! She held both arms stiff out behind her, making sure they didn't move.

She had taken the keys from Nann when she'd fallen asleep in the drawing room while Yumi was practicing her flute lessons. She'd always wanted to see what was in that room, but was never allowed to. Apparently that room contained things that 'a proper lady shouldn't see'. Yumi didn't really have much interest in being a proper lady, although Nann seemed to think it very important. As far as she could tell, it involved a lot of curtsying, too many words, and marrying a boy. Ick.

She made it to the end of the hallway and turned to face the door. The third key she tried turned in the lock and it swung open onto a dusty room with some old furniture, a few statues, and some paintings. Her eyes were drawn immediately to a large picture on the far wall. It was a portrait of a beautiful lady in flowing robes. Her eyes were piercing and intelligent, and she had a strong face and cool and noble demeanor. The woman's hair was almost jet black, just like her own. It was coiled up in a ball on top of her head and stuck through with a pin. Yumi walked forward, fixated on the painting, eyes wide.

"Oh ho, so that's where you were running to so quickly!" A voice boomed out from behind her. Spinning around, she saw Marton, the family's scribe. He was standing in the doorway, a leg of roast chicken in one hand. "Enjoying the view?" He swung the leg in a circle, gesturing at the paintings.

"Hello Marton", she said in her best polite voice. "I hope you are well. I was just enjoying these paintings." Maybe he didn't realize she wasn't supposed to be inside. She had always liked Marton. He had great stories about when he used be active in the Durmand Priory, before he'd hurt his leg. Then he'd become the family scribe and gotten fat. He reminded Yumi of an Asuran golem now.

Marton laughed. "Just breaking into every locked room, you mean?"

Well, so much for that. "Do you know who this lady is, Marton?" Yumi asked, turning back to the painting. If she could keep him talking, she might get to stay inside a little longer.

Marton looked surpised. "Has no one told you?" He shuffled inside the room, pointing the chicken leg at the tapestry. "That, my young noble, is your ancestor and namesake as well. Yumi Scruumi, Destroyer of the Mursaat, Canthan hero, Godkiller and generally, kind of a big deal."

Yumi was stunned. "I'm named after her? She killed a God? I've never heard that story!" she went to stand beside him, still looking at the art. "Tell me more!"

"The old heroes are quite out of favour in the court these days", Marton said, "Ever since that Lich in Elona dammed the River Elon and destroyed three entire nations." He shook his head sadly. "She made a deal with him, you see. Palawa Joko. His freedom in exchange for help destroying Abaddon, the old god of secrets. Of course, if she hadn't, this whole world would've looked like the Realm of Torment and none of us would be alive. She didn't just kill a god though. She stopped the Titans from destroying Tyria, and helped Queen Salma regain her throne. And in the land of Cantha, she lifted the curse on the royal family there by destroying an unearthly assassin that had caused a plague across the whole land. Really, the list goes on and on."

Yumi didn't understand everything the scribe was saying, but she got the idea. Yumi the First was a hero. "Do you think I can be a hero too, Marton?" she asked, excited. She grabbed the chicken leg from his hand and waved it like a wand. "Phoenix! Meteor shower! I could burn all the bad guys and rescue all the ladies in distress!" She shot an imaginary bandit with a bolt of lightning.

"I suppose we'll have to see!" he said, laughing as she danced around the room. "You certainly look like you've got the fire for it. You won't if your father has anything to say about it. Being a hero just isn't very proper. And he's been so protective of you since your mother died." She turned to him, crestfallen. "Don't worry though. Heroes have a way of making themselves. I'm sure if you really want to, you'll be a hero before you know it."

"Yumiiiiii!" A high-pitched skriek echoed down the hallway. "You come back here this instant! Wait until your father hears about this!"

Yumi looked at Marton beseechingly, but he just laughed again and started for the door. "Oh, you won't get any help from me, young lady! The first lesson in being a hero is to always face your demons head on." He winked and limped out through the door.

That night, she curled her hair up in a ball and stuck a big pin through it. It didn't look as good as the lady's in the picture, but she still felt pretty heroic. One day, she thought, one day there'll be a painting of me too. And it won't be locked a stupid back room.

 

 

Part 2: Powers

Yumi stood as still as she could behind a curtain in her father's study. Ordinarily, she'd be too proud to skulk about like a thief, but she knew that Marton and Father were about to discuss her future, now that she was twelve years old. She wanted to hear all the details. Marton had been teaching her history since that time he found her in that room years ago, looking at the painting of her ancestor Yumi. He had taught her some science and magical theory too. Compared to Nann's lesson on etiquette, they were enthralling.

"I hear what you're saying Marton", her father was saying to Marton across the chess board, "but I don't think Lady Farrah's Academy is the right place for our Yumi. Her mother always wanted her to be a proper young lady, and Nann has been doing an excellent job preparing her. I think she will go to Astria's Finishing School.
"But my Lord," Marton looked pained. "Yumi isn't anything like Estelle. She's got spirit and ambition. She needs to do something. She could be something special with the right training at the academy. She could become a powerful mage or guardian there. She'll be miserable at a finishing school."

"My word is final, Marton. I have to honour Estelle's memory. She was a great lady. I still miss her today." Her father's voice was sad now, lost in the past. "This is what she would've wanted. Yumi will grow to like it in time. Children will calm her down."

How could he! She clutched onto the curtains and fought to keep from crying. Or screaming. The whole world waited outside, but not for her. No, for her it was court gossip, stupid chattering ladies, and incessant boredom. She had never known her mother. She didn't care what she would've wanted. The sadness and helplessness she felt gave to way to anger. Rage flooded through her, until she was burning with it. She had never felt so furious. It coursed though her blood like lava. She felt the heat of it on her face, and on her hands.

Then she realized that the curtain had started on fire.

Screaming and backing away, she bumped into a candlestick and grabbed it reflexively to keep it from falling. Her father and Martin both jumped to their feet. The fire began to climb higher on the curtain, getting brighter and hotter.

"Yumi! Get away from there!" Her father shouted at her.

Marton was calmer. "This is your fire, Yumi." He spoke to her in the same voice he used when we was teaching her a new lesson. "You called it from the power in and around you. What is yours, you can command. Banish this flame with your will."

Yumi could still feel the burning her blood. Her magic, she realized now. She pointed the candlestick at the burning curtains. Water. She thought desperately. Enough water to drown the fire. She felt her blood cool in her veins. The candlestick didn't react. She started to panic.

A geyser of water crashed through the window behind the curtain, dousing the fire and sending shards of broken glass in a spray around the room. It knocked over the chess board and sent the pieces flying. Marton and her father were both soaked.

Marton's face was composed, but his eyes were dancing. "It seems, my lord, that your daughter has a bit of natural talent. Both for magic and for trouble."

Turning to her father, Yumi picked some shards of glass off of her dress. She spoke in a dignified a voice as she could manage. "I don't know about you, father, but I think I need to go to Lady Farrah's."

 

Part 3: Dragons

The door to the scribe's office crashed open as Yumi rushed inside. Marton looked up in surprise as Yumi rushed in the door, still in her academy uniform. At sixteen, this was her last year at Lady Farrah's before she was apprenticed to an elementalist master. She had grown dignified in the last four years, and outbursts like this weren't common.

"Lady, whatever is the matter?" Marton asked, trying to keep his papers from flying off his desk. "Trouble in school?"

"No! Marton, haven't you heard the news?" Yumi asked, eyes wide. "Glint is dead!" She pointed at a picture of Glint on the wall. "Destiny's Edge lost their fight with Kralkatorrik! They even say...they even say that Logan ran away and left the others to die."

Marton relaxed a bit, sitting back in the chair. "Oh that. Yes, I heard earlier today. It's a shame, but five people against a dragon? Always seemed like a risky plan to me." He shook his head. "And Logan didn't run away. Queen Jennah summoned him back to Divinity's Reach."

"But Marton, what's going to happen to Tyria now? If a great dragon like Glint is no match for Kralkatorrik, who is? How long before we're all icebrood and branded?" She looked at him bleakly. "Does humanity even have a future?"

"Of course they do!" Marton said, smiling up at her. "You're too young to be so pessimistic. What's next, are you going to cover your face with black makeup like those depressed necromancers in Rurikton?"

"No!" She said, laughing in spite of herself. "Those people look ridiculous. But seriously, without Glint, what are we going to do?"

"Well, " Marton said, looking at the picture of Glint, "I suppose all of us will need to be dragons now. Individually, we're fairly small and frail. But thousands of us would be a different story. All of us together, especially with the other races, could probably even make an elder dragon tremble." He pointed to one of his books on a shelf. "Read the stories about the Bloodstones sometime. It's happened before."

"But my classmates seem so useless!" Yumi protested, "This one girl, Lady Moonhaven, all she does is make these undead bugs and then talk to them like they're alive! And Lady Soulchild, she falls asleep during every lesson. And drools on her desk. And those are the best of the bunch! I can't really see any of them as future heroes."

"You're being too harsh. Everyone in your class is still training. Even you can't call water again after that first time." Martin gave her pat on the shoulder, reassuring. "People will become what they need to be. The Orders of Tyria are there, and they're getting more recruits every year. Once you're out of school, you could join a guild. You could even start one. The important thing for you now is to study hard."

"That's true," Yumi replied slowly, thinking it over. "Thanks Marton. I feel better now." She walked to the door and opened it. "A guild sounds like a great idea. I think I will start one, when I'm an elementalist for real. I think you've even given me the perfect name for it!"

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