(Starla)
The door was guarded, but the guards stepped aside when they saw me. Their eyes were curious and wary too.
But they didn’t stop me.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside with a loudly beating heart.
The chamber was dark, lit only by a single torch. Aksel’s massive dragon form filled the space, his scales dull, his wings folded tight against his body. His golden eyes were fixed on the far wall, unseeing and feral.
He was trembling again, his body strained against the chains.
"Aksel," I called out softly, taking careful steps towards him.
He didn’t respond, so I stepped closer, my hand raised. "Aksel, it’s me. Starla."
A low rumble like a warning sounded deep in his throat.
I halted in my steps.
The madness was coming back to him again, clouding his mind.
I had reached him once. I could definitely reach him again.
But I didn’t have my energy; it was completely drained. If I pushed myself, I knew I would end up fainting.
So I decided to do what I did best.
I paused and lifted the violin to my shoulder, adjusted it, and my fingers found the strings.
I began to play with my bow.
The melody was soft and gentle. A lullaby my mother used to sing for us siblings.
I drew the bow across the strings and the world fell away along with its worries. My hand moved on instinct, slow and sure, and the notes bloomed from the wood like a whispery breath. I pressed harder, and it ached; I eased back, and the music sighed.
My fingers found the strings without thought, climbing and falling, and the melody poured out of me like something I have been carrying for too long.
I didn’t only hear the music anymore; I felt it, in my chest, in my throat, in my very bones. The bow trembled against the strings, and I trembled with it. For a moment I was not merely a person at all but a part of this experience.
I poured everything into it, not my energy, not my power, but my heart. My grief. My hope. My passion to bring him back.
My eyes opened, and I focused them on Aksel. He had gone completely still. His trembling stopped, and his breathing slowed. The madness in his golden eyes, which had been fixed on nothing, slowly turned toward me and focused.
I kept playing, slowly and soulfully.
The melody grew, swelled, and filled the chamber with light and warmth. I closed my eyes again and let the music carry me, away from the fear, away from the pain, away from the dying ember of my energy.
I didn’t even hear the door open. I didn’t hear the quiet footsteps.
I didn’t see Azkan slip into the room and lean against the wall, his arms crossed, his deep violet eyes with gold flecks fixed on me.
I just played to calm the dragon, and they both listened.
My bow swept the strings a final time; slow, gentle, like a goodbye. The note stretched and ached for a moment before the melody slowly dissolved into silence.
I opened my eyes and focused them on Aksel. His massive body had relaxed; peace had descended in his feral eyes.
When the song ended, silence filled the chamber.
Aksel placed his massive head on the floor, his eyes half-closed, his breathing deep and even. He was calm and peaceful now.
I lowered the violin, my arms trembling from the rush of it.
"Who taught you to play like that?" Azkan’s sudden but curious voice almost made me jump. My hand went to my rapidly beating heart as I turned to watch him. He was leaning against the wall, watching me with a set expression.
With a sigh, I spoke. "You startled me; I didn’t know you were there."
"I followed you." He pushed off from the wall and walked toward me. "Needed to ensure you didn’t try anything funny," he abruptly said, but I could see the hints of admiration sparkling in his eyes. My music had moved him, but he wouldn’t admit it.
"As his guide, my duty is to calm him, and music is a huge part of who I am. My mother taught me, and then it became a gateway to my peace."
"And you were able to calm him with music too."
"It was all I had left today."
Azkan silently stared; I guess he was still trying to figure out what I was. "I think you have more than you know; you either hide it pretty well, or you are unaware."
Our gazes remained locked like a standoff before the storm. His violet eyes reflected the light of the torch. The cold mask had slipped, and I saw something beneath it, something vulnerable, something aching.
He constantly focused on his brothers, on guarding the wall and keeping the Beastworld safe. But what about the pain he carried because his energy was erratic and his guide was unable to calm him?
Was that the reason he was always this agitated?
I knew I could help him too if only he would let me.
"Azkan..."
"Don’t." He stepped back, the mask sliding into place, hiding whatever vulnerability he had shown in my proximity. "Get some rest."
Somehow I felt a ping inside my heart, a hurtful one.
He turned and walked away, and I watched his receding figure.
But at the door, he paused and, without turning around, my name fell heavily from his lips.
"Starla."
"Yes?" The beats of my heart picked up.
"The test tomorrow. The healers will determine your true rank."
"I know."
"Whatever they find and whatever you are will be revealed. If you have been lying to me, to us, I will know. Just because you can reach Aksel won’t give you immunity. You will be punished like the rest of our folks. You are in beastworld now. Same rules apply."
He left before I could respond.
I stood there in the darkness, the violin still in my hands, and felt tears bubble in my eyes.
I had heard their punishments were brutal. Could I take them?
What will he do when he finds out I am dying?
I didn’t have all the answers.
I glanced at Aksel, sleeping peacefully, and whispered:
"I don’t know how much time I have left. But I will use every moment to help you. I promise."
The dragon’s calm breathing was the only answer.