The child watched as her mother picked wild flowers from a nearby field they often visited. It was only a short walk from the small cottage near the pond that they lived in.
She swept her finger tips gently over the blossoms watching as bees and butterflies came fluttering out from the disturbance.
The sun shone brightly and she closed her eyes, lifting her face to it, pretending she herself was a wild flower.
"What is that you are doing little drake-ling?", her mother said cheerfully.
The child tried to explain but no words came. She opened her eyes to find her mother standing close to her. She gave the little girl a warm smile and crouched down to embrace her.
She hugged her back, squeezing her mother as tightly as she could. Then her mother was tickling her until they both collapsed to the ground in a giggling heap.
"One day my love, this will all be yours, a gift from your father and I. And one day you will meet someone that loves you as much as your father loves me, as much as he loves YOU. I see joy in your future and you are oh so deserving of it.", the mother said as she squeezed her daughters shoulder with an arm and planted a kiss atop her head.
The child shimmied closer to her and rested her head on her mother's stomach and closed her eyes.
Not a single worry in the world, the child fell asleep.
She had only lost consciousness for what felt like a moment when she next opened her eyes.
This time the child was sitting at an old and sturdy wooden table, her tongue sticking out in intense concentration as she carefully peeled away the surface of a carrot.
Suddenly a repetitive loud whooshing sound could be heard outside of the cottage.
The mother and child turned to each other instantly with joyful surprise painted happily on their face.
"Daddy's home!", they shouted simultaneously. Her mother came to the chair and lifted her off to run to the door, only steps behind her daughter.
The child thrust the door open clumsily and ran to the yard and looked up into the sky.
Above her was a large white dragon slowly lowering himself to the ground with his wings. Just as he was about to touch the ground his body was wrapped in wind and light and a man replaced the dragon. He had long white hair and gold eyes. He was incredibly tall and broad of shoulder.
He landed nimbly on his feet and smiled widely. Dropping to a knee, he opened his arms wide to catch the child as she threw herself into them. They embraced warmly and then he stood placing the girl on his hip, his golden eyes sparkling with love and joy as the mother sidled up to him for a lingering kiss.
The child reached for the medallion around his neck, studying the large stone in the center thinking of how it reminded her of the sky during a sunset.
Her father nuzzled her cheek which resulted in more giggling.
"Would you like to fly my drake-ling?", asked the kind large man in his deep baritone.
The child nodded excitedly.
Her mother went into the cottage and came back out with a dark green cloak with numerous pockets.
She fastened the too large cloak around her daughters throat and the man tossed her in the air catching her mid-fall.
He held her easily above his head and ran with her around the large yard, taking her in circles around the pond.
The child held her arms out wide and whooped with excitement.
She closed her eyes and relished the wind on her face.
When she opened them again she was standing at the door of her cottage gripping the green cloak tightly.
The mother and father were now dressed in armor, their faces sad and sullen, both with tears in their eyes.
The mother crouched and grasped the child's shoulders in her hand, looking urgently into her eyes.
"We will return for you Eli, until then keep my cloak safe, think of us always. And most of all, never forget how much we love you, our little drake-ling.", the mother said shakily. Her jaw clenched against the tears that threatened to spill over.
She pulled the child into a strong embrace before stepping away and turning from the child to wipe at her face.
The father came to stand in front of her, his face forlorn. He bent to her level and cradled the girls cheek in his large hand.
"You are the bravest person I have ever known. Your capacity for love and kindness knows no bounds. Be true to yourself Eli, always. If you do so you will not be led astray. What we are going to do next will not be painful but it will protect from those who might seek you out. One day you will need to lift the spell or you will get very sick. The casting is to hide the part of you that is dragon, many humans would hurt you for that reason alone. In order to break the spell you will need to discover your lineage with your conscious mind. Do you understand Eli?", the child nodded. "Once the spell is cast, this conversation will be lost from your memory. I promise you it will not hurt.", he said softly to her as he hugged her tightly, his voice struggling to exert itself past the lump in his throat.
The mother and father stood hand in hand and touched the daughters shoulders. A light shone brightly from her and stopped after a few minutes.
"Rivera will care for you in the mean time, we will return Eli, wait for us my love.", the mother said, placing a kiss atop her head once more.
The mother and father walked to the yard together, the father transforming into a massive white dragon. The mother mounted his back between his wings, fully armored and resting her hand upon her sword she waved one last time before they lifted off into the sky.
The child felt tears roll down her cheeks.
They would be back. They had to. And for her own sake she had to believe.
The child closed her eyes against the ache in heart.
When she opened them again she was being drug from the cottage, shouting loudly for help, calling for Rivera.
"Leave the child! Leave her! Please, for the love of the goddesses, please! Do what you will with me but leave the child!", the water spirit screeched as a pair of humans held silver to her skin, scorching her water like surface.
"Eli! Eli! Do not forget this place! Do not forget your mother and father! We all love you Eli! Now and always! Find me when the time comes! Oh goddesses above, have mercy upon her she is only a child!", the water spirit screamed, murky tears poured from her eyes, her face contorted in fear and pain.
"Quiet, demon.", a man in dark armor commanded, holding the child by her hair. He nodded at the humans torturing the spirit. One thrust an iron spike into her back and she writhed in pain.
"You filthy humans! You sick sadistic monsters! I will find you, I will find you and I will drown you in your own miseries! I will-", she was unable to finish. The other human used an iron bar to knock her out cold.
The child struggled with the man who held her captive, raking her hands at her hair trying to free herself. The man pulled violently on her strands, dragging her to the cottages exit.
She wrenched herself forward, feeling chunks of hair come free from her scalp. She frantically crawled towards the spirit reaching a hand out to her cheek. Just as the child touched her face her world went black.
She opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of another cottage, this one situated in the middle of a town she was unfamiliar with.
"She was saved from Folk on the other side of the Cheshire Wood, she's young and strong she will serve you well.", said the man who had drug her by her hair.
A couple stood in the doorway and scowled at her reproachfully.
"She's dirty. And young, I doubt she knows how to do much else other than pick flowers and play in the mud.", stated the portly woman, displeased.
"Now Tora, the king himself has commanded the rescue of humans from Folk and it would be our civic duty to care for this child.", said the man, not entirely enthusiastic.
"Vayne, I won't abide it! She's been living with demons for all her life! What if she brings a curse down upon our heads? Who are the fools then?", the woman mewled.
The man gave her a pat on the shoulder and nodded at the armored man. He thrust the child at them and happily took the coinage the man handed them in exchange.
"Pleasure doing business with you.", said the captor. He began to walk away before he turned to the couple. "If it's too much trouble to pick a name, I heard her called Caeli, I believe that's what her name is as of yet. If you'd like to change it, that's your business. She's all yours now.", he smirked and mounted his horse.
The man rode off in the distance and once he was out of sight, the other man named Vayne urged the child to enter.
"She needs a bath, maybe then she'll resemble a human.", said the woman scornfully.
The child followed as she was led into the cottage, fighting tears all the way.
Her heart was broken and she was so very afraid but she couldn't discern why. She vaguely recalled that she was waiting for her parents, but where were they? What if they were unable to find her?
The thought terrified her.