To look and truly see someone or something is a concept I’d never been capable of, but with Caneo I didn’t feel the need to try. He was there before me like a mountain, tall and unmoving. Perhaps it was the idea that we remained twin peaks, two stones carved by the elements, that gave me hope for him- for myself. Even in the hazy morning glow, I felt settled instead of restless, peaceful instead of melancholy. His presence soothed me in ways that I didn’t understand nor had the patience to question… We just were, no matter how vague and unreliable such sentiments undoubtedly seemed.

As we neared the wide rift between the Dragon’s Throat and the outlying borders of our home, I noticed his closeness and his presumed hesitation. Whatever it was that troubled him I could not know, but I attempted to try and offered him an encouraging smile. “What do you think Dreamer?”

The cliff and the sands and the world beyond the waters that clung to dry-washed banks were but an illusion to fool the ignorant. But I knew what lie ahead and the individuals that inhabited such a majestic land, even if I knew them without names. Warriors. They were a people made up of warriors, ones I respected and trusted in the wake of falling victim to invasion. It was in the Throat that I knew we would both prosper and grow- together. Yet, fear still found home in my heart for the consequences I would face if I didn’t prove my own worth as I’d done once before. Leaving had made me weak, but returning with my tail tucked between my legs would only be my figurative death.

As if on cue, a creature breeched the calmness of the heavens, her voice ringing out above us- my name. Never before had we spoken and yet as always, out of duty or respect, I knew that she –Ampere- would one day make my acquaintance. In a rush of electric blues and deep, midnight sapphires, the Pegasus departed from the skies to alight alongside us. She appeared a jovial sort of creature, though still hardened by war, and I nodded cordially to the Gladiator. “Thank you. It is good to feel the sand beneath my feet again,” I offered warmly. With Caneo still close by my side, I radiated strength and confidence… traits that had been robbed of me in the darkness of my wandering.

The Mother of Companions was in no way my equal when it came to her cool self-awareness and rigid charms, but I wished for such power one day… if only because I’d once been as poised.

Instead of picking up her string of conversation, I allowed Dreamer the chance to afford his own choices and his own voice. His name was not mine to give or take, but simply to know. He didn’t need me to fill his voids any longer. That much I could see.

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Was it grand?

Was the Dragon’s Throat just as grand as I’d made it out to be? Had I been lying to him about the heat of the sands and the dust storms that occasionally rolled across the plains toward the sea? I found it all to be magical, a land of true wonder despite the exotic paradise that I’d once called the Hidden Falls. But what did it matter now? What good was my own opinion when shaping the views of others whose minds had already been shaped? I stared absently across the magnificent body of water designed to keep us safe and I wondered why it had been placed. Who did it keep out? In retrospect I should have been glad to lay eyes on such a crude measure of defense, but instead I found myself questioning its motives. It kept everyone out… including me from time to time. Was that how family worked?

I turned my attention back to both Ampere and Caneo in enough time to catch their introductions and I smiled in relief at the exchange. The blue mare was anything but motherly and yet somehow a net in which I knew I could fall. She was the brawn and the brains behind some important roles in the Dragon’s Throat, ones I was sure I’d utilize one day, and a sturdy companion should I need a helping hand. But what made her tick? What made her sacrifice for the two titles she carried? Was it family? Was I a part of it?

Again I’d distracted myself from conversation and again I was somehow surprised to hear my name rippling within the soft refrain of Caneo’s voice. I’d missed the tense interactions beforehand, or perhaps I’d simply wanted to ignore them, but even I could see the subtle shift of question as it slid from the planes of Ampere’s face when she regarded the young dreamer. He was not like them- not some war-hardened creature cut and trimmed for battle. His soul was one that reached far and wide while others like myself merely lingered close to heart. Dreamer was a tree with too many branches in which to shade us, but not enough sun to grow… and so we both fought the agonies of life, just from different perspectives.

I wasn’t yet sure how Caneo would answer the invitation to join me –us- in the Throat, but I pleaded inwardly for him to comply. I wanted nothing more than to show him that his branches would not only grow here… but so would his roots.

Please.

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Like two strings to one’s bow, Caneo and I were invited into the soft fold of the Dragon Throat family. Again and again I’d been here, a beacon possessing too many shades of varying light, only to wind up saying the same things. Doing the same things. That repetition had become a cornerstone of my life… a ceaseless battle with the monotony of my own choices. But I was happy. Even though I’d bedded so many uncertainties, embraced so many lies, I was somehow whole, somehow more than I was when I’d first set foot on the southern shores. I’d come expecting to take up thrones that weren’t mine to keep and left with the burden of them riding upon my shoulders. The freedom that came with this new acceptance kept my insecurities at bay… that and the comfort of having a friend –of having Caneo- at my side.

As if I’d almost forgotten, I returned my child-like attention toward the dreamer as he mentioned his desire to remain in the south. His words felt heavy on my ears, indecisive somehow, and yet just as concrete and sturdy as the man himself. His eyes were trained on Ampere like they had been with me back in the Threshold, but this time there was something different, something I considered to be more guarded… or certain. I wondered if he would ever look at me that way- if I really wanted him to. But as he continued, my curiosities faltered, driven more by his request to become a spy. I smiled slightly despite myself and turned to study Ampere’s reaction to the idea of allowing yet another sleuth amongst her ranks. However, her answer was more or less what I’d been expecting, and her reference to Ghost was one that had not gone unnoticed. “I’m certain Ghost would be more than happy to receive you. She’s certainly not as elusive as one might think, just the opposite in fact, as long as you’ve got the talent for the task,” I stated good-humoredly.

Without any remaining reservations and with a much lighter heart, I offered Ampere a genuine smile. Making her acquaintance had been direction enough to continue building the life I’d started and left behind simultaneously. I wanted family, needed it. I’d simply gotten lost before truly finding out what it meant to those that called the Dragon’s Throat their own.

Before I’d even noticed the electric murmur of her magic or the glint of the metal key, Ampere surprised me yet again by tossing me the very thing that would always allow me access into her home. I felt both blessed and accountable for how my future might turn out now that I’d been granted her trust… “Always,” I answered quietly with a sincere gaze. But how long would always last this time around? I couldn’t run. I couldn’t hide from the things that I loved most… not anymore. Even as the azure-colored warrior thrust herself back into the skies overhead, I felt the need to thank her for seeing in me what only a handful of others had seen… and for giving me the opportunity to prove my loyalty once again.

I watched for a moment as she disappeared before turning to address dreamer with a devious smirk. Little did he know that we would be ascending to similar heights to cross the wide river that kept everyone else outside. We wouldn’t have to worry any longer about the defense mechanism designed to ward off intruders. We were family now…

“Are you ready?”

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I imagine us as angels. Even before the magic begins, I recognize only the feeling of the key as it dangles loosely around my neck. It is as foreign as it is moving, a token of trust… of a future in the Dragon’s Throat. But it is so much more now- a relic of the growing bond between Caneo and I, a symbol of my return and ultimate promise to remain in the Throat, and even a bond with those I’d failed to meet the first time around. It glows softly against my chest and as it does so, I turn my eyes toward Caneo wanting him to see. The first time I’d crossed the channel into the south, I’d done it by boat with Maren the Priestess. The second had been with Ghost and I’d been able to experience the joys that Caneo too would soon (hopefully) delight in.

When at last he gave me permission to tap into the enchanted power of the key, I smiled animatedly. “Get ready,” I warned. Stepping forward toward the banks of the trench, I waited patiently for the new spy to approach my side. Never before had I used the key myself and didn’t know whether or not it required a touch or simple willpower to activate it, but upon reaching the shore, I felt my body begin to hum with the familiar warmth of magic.

For a moment I let it encapsulate me until I was rising up above both sand and water alike. My stomach dropped away from beneath me and I managed a strangled laugh that bubbled up from its depths like thick bile. Clearly I wasn’t yet accustomed to the imitated notion of flying, but I assumed that one day that would change… with enough practice of course.

The beating of wings sounded on either side of us and again I pictured us as angels preparing to land. It was such a subtle and warm image, one that helped to mask the strange feeling of flight despite a none-too-graceful landing upon the opposite shore. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and erupted in my nerve endings as I turned once again to face Caneo, flushed and surprised. Every time still felt like the first to me… What had it felt like to him?

I was gearing up to prod him for such details when I realized just how tired the weary dreamer might be. He had come a long way presumably and I had no desire to keep him from the rest and relaxation that he deserved. Another day then….

“When you’re ready, I can take you to Ghost. I’m certain that you’ll be wanting some sleep and provisions before embarking on that kind of task,” I stated knowingly. “Sleep well dreamer.”

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