Emily sat on the back of a massive green dragon. Its wings were steadily beating at its side, sending ripples of excitement racing up and down her spine.
Xavier sat in front of her holding the reigns and a guard named Luca was behind her humming a tune she didn't recognize.
Emily played with the hem of her new dress and fingered the beautiful layers of fabric. It was her favorite color a light pink and the skirt was studded with small diamonds.
It was a sight to behold when the sun hit it, such a beautiful sight to see after losing her eye she supposed.
Xavier glanced back. "We're almost there, Em."
Em.
Eli's childhood nickname for her. She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around herself trying to shake off the reminder. But Eli was gone and she wasn't able to do anything about it.
Her mind wandered back to her favorite memory of living in Hessa. She and Eli had been sitting outside the tent looking up at the stars. Eli's ankle had still been infected and even then he'd been able to manage a smile and a laugh now and then.
Eli sat up, beaming at her.
There was a thump and a cloud of dust rose up around them. Luca slid off behind her and held his hand out to help her down. Emily jumped into his arms and when he tried to put her down she shook her head hard.
Luca blinked at Xavier in surprise. "She doesn't want me to put her down."
"Is everything ok, Emily?" Xavier appeared next to him, brows furrowed in confusion.
No. Everything was not ok.
Emily just hid her face in Luca's shoulder letting her hair cover her face.
"Just go with it Luca, she's been through a lot." Xavier squeezed her shoulder. "Alright, come on. Let's go find her mom."
When they entered the city, Emily perked up and began looking around. It looked as it did when they left, people were lying around everywhere on any available surface.
A few people looked up at them hopefully when they passed, and a couple of them looked at Emily and widened their eyes.
Emily pointed to a half-up tent and Xavier approached it first. "Ms. Sabella?" he crouched at the entrance and blinked at whatever he saw. He blinked again wiping the expression from his face.
He looked scared.
Emily pointed to the ground and Luca put her down. He gave Xavier a look. "Is everything alright?"
Emily moved toward Xavier ignoring his persistent head shake and the sight she saw before her had her screaming.
Beside her, Luca gasped slightly and turned a light shade of green. "I'm..oh no. I'm gonna be sick." he covered his mouth with a fist and stumbled away to be sick.
Her mom was on her wide with a long wooden spike sticking out of her back. There was no telling how long she'd been here, but judging by the smell, it had to have been a long while.
Emily raced to her side and shook her shoulder. Hard. She then stopped, yanked her hands back, and rocked back and forth on her heels.
She stared down at her hands and saw blood on her palm. Her mother's blood.
She was gone. Gone.
First her father. Eli. Now her mom.
A hand landed on her shoulder, and she blinked up at Xavier before dissolving into tears.
"I'm sorry." he took her into his arms. "I'm so sorry."
After discovering her mother's body she's felt numb. She didn't notice when they changed direction, dropped Luca off, nor when they landed in the Dragon Riders Kingdom.
She didn't say anything when Xavier helped her down or when they approached a massive castle. The doors opened but she couldn't remember a single detail of any room.
Things happened in a blur.
Xavier took them to a room where a woman in a glamorous violet gown was sitting with a little girl sitting on her lap. The girl jumped up and tackled Xavier in a hug. "You're back!" she looked at Emily and her smile grew. "Hi!"
Emily shrank away and Xavier chuckled nervously. "This is Emily. Emily this is my little sister, Ember. She's a little shy."
Ember bounced on her toes. "Oh. It's ok." she flashed Emily another smile. "I've always wanted a sister to play dress up with." she turned to the woman in the violet gown. "Can she play mama?"
"Not now, love. Let me talk to her. Xavier take Ember to the gardens."
Xavier squeezed Emily's shoulder and quickly ushered Ember out. Now that Emily was alone she got a good look at the woman sitting before her.
Her skin was the color of creamy vanilla, and her curls shone like strands of golden silk. Her eyes were a mesmerizing sight, as their colors shifted and changed, much like a kaleidoscope.
Adorning her head was a magnificent crown, studded with an array of dazzling diamonds of various colors and sizes, each shining brighter than the other.
This woman struck Emily as someone who was a great leader and could easily command any room she walked into.
"Hello, I'm King Davis's wife. Just call me Taylor." she beckoned Emily closer. "My husband has sent letters telling me of the horrible things King Kojo is doing. I also heard about...the incident." She looked at the cloth over half of her face.
Emily nervously bounced from foot to foot.
"I know it doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry." Taylor took her shaking hands in hers. "Would you like to stay here with me?"
Emily opened her mouth but closed it again.
"King Kojo and I have always wanted another girl but since giving birth to Ember I can no longer bear children." Taylor smiled sadly. "I'm sorry you no longer have your family with you, and I know who may have taken your brother."
Emily locked eyes with her.
"I can help you find him if you want to stay." Taylor tucked some of Emily's hair behind her ear. "I'm not going to force you. It's your choice. I love your dress."
Emily giggled and twirled in a circle.
How could she turn down an offer like this? A chance to find Eli and be reunited again? She nodded at the queen who stood.
"Well, I suppose we should get you cleaned up." she reached out her hand and Emily took it.
As Taylor led her down the hall, they came across a tall mirror and Emily stopped to study her reflection. Her one eye stared back at her and took in her disheveled appearance.
Her dress looked like it had been in a boxing match with an iron and lost. The stains on it were like stubborn roommates who refused to leave, no matter how many times they were told to vacate.
Her bare feet were so dirty that she could have passed for a hobbit, and her hair was a wild tangle of knots that seemed to have a life of its own. It was as if she had been caught in a wind tunnel, or maybe she had just woken up from a nap in a haystack.
As Emily smiled, a wave of determination washed over her. Despite enduring some callous times (and that's putting it mildly), the memory of her missing eye only fueled her desire to keep fighting.
As Emily stared at her reflection in the mirror, she saw more than just a disheveled appearance. She saw a survivor, a phoenix rising from the ashes, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. Her reflection became a beacon of resilience and determination.