"Good afternoon class. We have a new student today. Cariad, I'm Mistress Bell, Water. You can go sit by Zoey." The teacher had brown hair that was dip-dyed an electric blue. She made her way around the class, chatting and laughing with everybody. I sat by Zoey, the girl from my E.M class who I nearly killed. My seat was behind where Finch sat, and he grinned at me.
"Hi Zoey. Sorry about earlier, I really didn't mean to be that...extreme." I apologized meekly.
"It's okay, don't worry about it."
I examined her out of the corner of my eye. She was short, and quite skinny. She was pale for a Earth, but her eyes were a deep brown. Her hair hung lank down her back, a light, mousy brown with faint blonde highlights and split ends. She also had a light dusting of freckles, and a sharp face.
Finch turned his chair against the wall so he could talk to us.
"Hey Zo, Cariad."
"Hi Fin. Danielle was wondering what your plans are for you two on Valentines day." A knife cut into my heart, and it twisted viciously.
Finch glanced at me guiltily before replying. "I called her earlier, thanks though."
"You didn't tell me you had a girl-friend, Finch!" I tried and failed to sound happy.
He looked embarrassed, and was saved by Mistress Bell's piercing whistle.
"Thank you for your attention...finally. Willow, give these out please. Everybody complete these after I have finished speaking."
Willow, who I hadn't noticed sitting at the front, smiled and waved a hand. Everyone's papers landed gracefully on their desks.
"Typical Air." Zoey muttered.
I looked at her in surprise. Finch glared at her and she shrugged grumpily, muttering an apology and shifted her attention to the teacher, as did I.
today we are going to start the module on the two dragons."
A wave of hushed murmurs rolled over the class, and I felt the weight of twenty curious stares.
Great.
"All of you know the ancient hero, Owain Glynn-Dwr. He fought against all odds to save us from the English tyrants. Now he had a special shape-shift. He turned into Y Ddraig Goch, and the Red Dragon saved us all." Now that we weren't taught in school.
"Once, long ago, when the Celtic Tribes worshipped the dragons, the English dragon, Rain-Dancer decided that the Welsh should worship her, and only her.
"She flew over two of the largest and most fearsome Welsh Tribes, and burned them all alive, so that their skin was as hard as rock and their insides boiled, they were trapped this way for many years."
The white dragon was a female? That was surprising. Normally these fairytale where set in a patriotic society and the lead roles were given to men.
''This event woke the Red Dragon. He was so furious, he had felt the pain of each and every one of his poor people. He gave out a roar that set fear into the bellies of the bravest of Englishmen, and he flew out to face Rain-Dancer in single combat." The thrill only a practised story-teller could give you was nestled into my chest, heart beating as if I had been running for miles.
"Great drops of burning blood flooded the rivers that day, and even the Old Oak weeped.
"The fearsome sky-battle lasted for half a day and half a night. It concluded upon the cliff-top of Abertraeth."
"Where is that, Mistress?" I silently cursed that annoying boy for interrupting the epic tale, but simultaneously curious to know where this battle ended.
"Aber bach and Aber mawr were once one beach. The cliffs fell and divided it." She explained. Aber mawr was one of my favourite places.
" The two dragons wrestled, and Rain-Dancer pinned Y Ddraig Goch against the edge of the steep cliff, and to avenge and save the Welsh, flew into the sea, pushing Rain-Dancer down until the flames in their bellies were extinguished and they drowned. From that day on, it always rained in grief for the Red Dragon of Wales."
I filled out the front of my workbook and wrote down the story Miss had told us. The bell went then, and our homework was to create a poster showing the events of the story.
........
I was in a city. I had never been in real life, but you can go anywhere in a dream.
At first I was in a street full of shops and Christmas lights everywhere, much better than the few dotted around at home. The snow drifted from the cloudy sky gently, and then merged with the thousands of flakes already forming a soft carpet underneath my feet. I wasn't in my pyjamas anymore, but dressed warmly in a smart winter coat, it reached to my knees, black buttons and tomato red material. The white knitted scarf was tightly wound around my neck, and I tugged a glove off to trail my fingers through the pure snow. Surprisingly, I didn't feel the numbness of the ice, and it didn't melt against my skin either.
I wandered through the street, marvelling at the millions of bright lights.
The people that bustled around me hurried past, minds set on forgotten presents for loved ones that they didn't care for at all, not really.
I had always imagined a city as less crowded, less cold, and more magnificent than this bland landscape of grey. There were tall buildings of glass, dwarfed by the skyscrapers around them.
Then the dream-scene changed then, and so did I. It was the summer now, in was tanned and a light breeze rustled through the emerald leaves. I saw a street market, and hurried towards it. It was stuffy, very busy and extremely exotic.
Stalls of spices, vibrant clothing, colourful foods and jewellery were guarded by wizened elders with maps of wrinkled sketched on their features, grumpy, scantily dressed teenagers hoping to scrape more extra cash and other, more normal people.
The scene changed again. The people froze, then turned towards me all at once.
Their eyes glowed yellow, their skeletons showed through their skin like paper. The sun disappeared and the shadows crept in like many nightmares.
"Love and War" They chanted in unison.
"Save and Destroy.
Dark and Light
Separated
Inseparable
Gone by Choice
Gone by Sacrifice
Unaware, loyal, reflecting
Dark as Shadow
White as Innocence
To Dance,To Save
Two Hearts Born
Two Hearts Gone"
As they finished, they slid swords from hidden sheathed and stepped forward as one.
"Two Hearts Gone."
I woke up to darkness.