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Saoghal and I fly in silence until I see the twinkling lights of the small town my father governs over—Lokmis. It's never been a large city or trading port—mostly just a stopping place for travelling traders and merchants, but it's home. It's nestled in the hills of the valley, very out in the open. It's rarely attacked however, due to its proximity to Montserrat and its utter insignificance in general.

My home is a large manor at the head of the city, with large windows and dark redwood framing. It's a beautiful house. Behind it is the lake, where the little children play on the hottest summer days and the huge willow tree we'd always race up to see who could make it to the top the fastest, before leaping into the shimmering waters below.

Lokmis is simple, quaint, small. And it's beautiful.

With a huge flap of her wings, Saoghal lands with a thud right in front of the manor, her opalescent wings shimmering in the sun. A roar sounds from my right, and both of our heads snap to the side, where Reithe is standing atop a hill. The great Red Clubtail stands with her head low and teeth bared, her bludgeon-like tail flicking dangerously behind her. Rylan's dragon is around the same size as Saoghal—and I'd never realized how much space a dragon took up until there where two of them standing in front of my house.

"Don't pick a fight, please!" I say to Saoghal, who's spikes along her crest stand up defensively.

Slowly, they go back down, and my dragon bows her head to Reithe. "I am on her territory. She is doing her duty."

"Thank you," I say down the bond, and jump down to the ground, gravel crunching beneath my feet.

"Wisteria?" I spin around when I hear my father's voice from behind me, a large axe held defensively in his hands. My face breaks into a smile, and for a moment, the voices are entirely gone as I run toward my father. He drops the axe immediately and hugs me tightly, before holding me out in front of him by my shoulders and looking up at Saoghal. There's fear in his eyes as he stares at her.

"It's ok, Dad," I say, trying to be encouraging. "She's not going to hurt you."

"That dragon..." he murmurs, before glancing down at me with a sad smile. "It's nothing. I'm just glad you're ok, sweetheart." His eyes sweep over me. "Look at you! You're a true rider, aren't you? Just like...." He thinks better of his words. "You're a true rider. You were made for this."

"I will wait on the hill," Saoghal says, before flapping her wings and landing near Reithe, who has laid down once again, obviously ignoring my dragon.

I turn around to face my father once again, and behind him I see the faces I most wanted to see—the twin's red hair is disheveled and messy from sleep, but they are entirely awake.

Despite being twins, the two are easily identifiable:

Oleander's sharp amber eyes are always on guard, always searching and assessing. One could tell that Ollie was made for the riders, with shoulder length fiery red hair and a slight frame.

While equally slight, Belladonna is softer, kinder in nature. Her red hair falls in soft waves over her shoulder, and short bangs cover her forehead. Bella is the one I would worry about in the riders—she certainly has the capability, the skill, certainly the bravery. I'm just not sure she has the heart.

After a moment of looking at each other, it's like something clicks between us. Suddenly we're together, all three of us wrapping around each other so tightly that it's like we're afraid to let go. Maybe I am. Maybe if I let go, I'll have to leave again.

Finally I force myself to pull away. "You're so strong!" I exclaim, squeezing both of their biceps with a grin. "It's like I've come back to whole new people."

"Um, hello," Ollie says, raising a brow. "Who's the one with a big badass dragon?" She looks over to where Saoghal is sitting in the distance. "Although..." she frowns. "Why's she white? Weren't there only six colors?"

I purse my lips and try to find an answer. "Well..." I say slowly. "It's a long story. I don't think I'm supposed to say."

"Smooth," Saoghal says drily.

"Shut up," I mutter back.

"Whatever," Bella says, grinning. "Come inside. Rylan and Mother are here too."

Right. Mother. I try to focus on seeing my favorite trainer instead. Bella and Ollie lead me inside to the living room, my father trailing closely behind. It's just as I remember—soft, plush green couches and chairs around a redwood table in front of a blazing hearth, dragons and trees and rivers etched into the wood on the mantel. Rylan and my mother sit at the chairs, and Rylan stands immediately when he sees me.

"Good to see you up and well again," he grins, wrapping me in a hug. "Better not do something like that again." Right. I had last seen him after Saoghal had begun channeling, when I nearly died.

"Like what?" My father asks suspiciously. Rylan and I glance at each other with a look that says oh shit. I guess we had both forgotten we weren't going to tell my family about that.

"Oh, nothing," Rylan says, waving a hand. "Let's sit." My father gives us both a skeptical glance, but he drops the subject.

Ollie, Bella and I collapse onto one of the couches while Rylan and my father sit on the one opposite us, my mother resting stiffly on the chair next to them.

"I'd have the servants bring refreshments," she says curtly, "but it's eleven at night. I'm afraid they've all gone to bed."

"That's all right," I say just as tightly back. "I won't be long."

There's a moment of awkward silence after that, the tension between my mother and I obvious. Finally, Oleander speaks up. "So," she says. "How is the Riders Quadrant? Think they're ready for us next year?" she grins, lounging on the couch and throwing her legs over Bella and I's laps.

"Oleander!" My mother scolds. Ollie just rolls her eyes.

"Oh, we're more than ready," I say back, slinging an arm over Bella's shoulder. "You two are going to knock that place off its feet. You're still working with your arrows, right Bella?"

She nods, her face lightening. "I've been practicing shooting from the horses in the stable. I'm sure it's much different from a dragon, but I hit the target every time," she says excitedly. "Rylan says that maybe Reithe would let him take Ollie and I up one at a time—with him, of course."

I look over at our trainer, who shrugs. "Reithe is tolerant. I'm sure I could convince her, especially since she's known the three of you for so long."

"Don't you even think about getting them on me," Saoghal growls. "You are my rider and I chose you for a reason. I'm not a party animal."

"Neither is Reithe," I tell her. "And no. You're far too grumpy." The only response is an annoyed huff down the bond. "Point proven."

I don't think Rylan notices the way my mother is glaring daggers at him from where she sits. Or maybe she does and he's just ignoring her. Probably the latter.

"Wisteria," Rylan says slowly. "I've been meaning to ask. Have you manifested a signet yet?"

I freeze. I can't tell them. Not yet. Or maybe you're just too afraid. Afraid they won't ever look at you the same when they realize you can manipulate death. I shove that annoying little voice back into the furthest reaches of my mind.

"Oh," I say finally. "No. No, I haven't." I try to smile, but I know it's not convincing when Rylan's eyes narrow and his brow furrows. Thankfully he doesn't say anything.

"What do you think my signet is going to be?" Ollie asks, picking at her hair that's still rumpled from sleep. "Better be something badass. Like fire wielding. Or like, mind reading."

"They kill people for that," I tell her, raising a brow. "And someone burst into flame when they manifested their fire wielding signet."

Ollie scrunches her face at me. "Oh, well, way to kill the mood," she says in a mocking tone. "I think I'm going to be a fire wielder. And I'm not going to burst into flames."

"You better not," I say. "I might have to have my friend freeze you're body back together so I can just kill you myself for dying on me."

Bella's eyes widen. "Your friend can do that?"

I smile. "I don't know," I say, shrugging. Ridoc's a wild mess when it comes to everything—I'm sure he could do tons of crazy shit with his signet if he put his mind to it. "Probably. He can wield ice, so it would make sense."

"I'd like something like that," Bella murmurs. "Like air, or another element." She glances at Oleander. "Not fire, though."

"I have a friend who can do that, too," I say with a smirk, flicking her nose.

"Since when do you have so many friends?" Ollie asks, frowning. "You get a white dragon and suddenly you're the most popular person in the quadrant?"

My mom's head jerks up at that. "What?" she yelps. "What did you say?"

Oleander frowns. "She got a white dragon?"

My mother's face pales as she stares at me, the terror in her eyes prominent. "You're dragon...," she whispers, "is white? The white dragon?"

"Yes," I say slowly, removing my arm from over Bella's shoulders. "Are you all right, Mom? It's fine. Saoghal's not going to hurt anyone." My mother jolts to her feet and my father soon after, holding her tentatively.

"Naomi?" my father says softly. "It's going to be all right. You don't need to worry."

"It's happening all over again," my mother sobs, and I glance over and Bella and Ollie, who both shrug, looking equally concerned. "We're going to lose her. We're going to lose her, damn it! This is why I didn't want you going to the Riders! That quadrant is a death sentence!"

I stand, approaching my mom slowly. "Mom, it's ok," I say softly. "I'm alive. I'm not going to die." I try halfheartedly to lighten the mood, "I mean, I've made it this far, so it be kind of a waste for me to die. Besides, I'd be too missed."

My mother looks up at me with pale blue eyes glistening with tears, so similar to my own. "Has your dragon told you nothing?" she hisses, and there's fury in her words. Real anger in my mother, and anger that I've never seen from her before.

"We must leave," Saoghal snaps. "Now, child. We're leaving."

"What?" I ask, frowning. I look back at Ollie and Bella, still sitting on the couch, and jump. The woman is back. Once again, just standing and staring with those eerie blank eyes set into an oddly familiar shadowy face. I'm locked under her gaze, unable to move. Belladonna furrows her brow and stands up, taking a step toward me as if she knows that something is wrong.

"Wisteria?" she asks quietly, glancing over her shoulder to see what I'm staring at. She, obviously, sees nothing there, so she turns back around, even more confused. "Wisteria. What's going on? Mom?"

"Wisteria!" Saoghal growls urgently. "Wisteria, don't do this child. We must leave."

For the first time since I've manifested, the woman begins to move. Her arm raises ever so slowly, her white eyes never leaving me, as her finger moves to point at a painting over the mantel. My gaze slowly follows her hand and I stumble back in shock when I realize what I'm looking at.

The ghost woman, who's been following me since I manifested, is one of the women in the painting, the same broad jaw and upturned nose. My mother is the other. This woman in the picture isn't wearing flight leathers however, like the shadowy figure in front of me.

"Wisteria—" Saoghal's voice cuts off as I block her out of my mind for the first time. It feels wrong to do this, but things are finally starting to make sense. The incident. The protest received at Threshing.

A dragon isn't supposed to bond a direct descendant of its previous rider. It could have catastrophic consequences—the rider could go mad, or die, or both. It's an incredibly risky move. And yet, Saoghal seemed to be a sucker for breaking the rules.

Because her previous rider who died twenty years ago—she had been my aunt.

. . .

Just for context, Wisteria's mother is around 45 years old now, and Wisteria's aunt would be around 40 had she lived, so Wisteria would just have been born when she entered the Riders and bonded Saoghal.

Also, when it comes to Naolin's age (who in this fic, would be around ten years older than Brennan if he had lived), I'm totally just playing a guessing game and making his age fit to match the story lol, I'm not sure if its right or not considering there's no confirmed age for Naolin.

Anyways I'm hoping this is making sense lol I'm trying to make it work as well as I can so I fixed a few things in the previous chapters regarding Saoghal's first rider :)