Dawning Skye

“Why...are you here so late? Or is it early?”

“Tis ridiculously early, but I swear it’ll be worth it.. I’ve come ta bust ya out!” Skye whispered loudly.

Mei’s voice was barely audible as she mumbled; “I wasn’t locked away, I just.. I do not want cause problems for Hang anymore..”

Skye sighed; “If ya have ta cut yer loved ones outta yer life ta keep him happy, then he doesna love ya, Mei.. He sees ya as a possession ta control. Is it really worth it ta close yer self off fer the rest of yer life?”

Mei’s expression fell as as Skye added; “Is that how ya want Rukia ta live?”

“No, I don’t want her to turn out like me,” Mei’s eyes welled up as she answered.

Skye placed a warm hand on her shoulder; “That’s all I needed ta hear-but Ima not gonna let ya throw yer self outta the game, either.. Now, move yer arse! I already got Rukia up, dressed, and waitin’ outside in that field ya call a courtyard fer us. So move it!”

“Alone?!” Mei had shot up in bed as she’d exclaimed with a fearful expression.

.....

Skye smirked as she walked over to where Mei’s maidservants had laid out her clothes for the day; “Na! She’s wit someone I’d trust wit me life, so dinna worry. Just hurry! We need ta leave before the sun rises!”

“Leave? -What are you talking about?! I can’t leave!” Mei nearly yelled as she crawled to the end of her bed.

“Shhh!” Skye’s finger covered her lips a moment before she spoke again; “The guards are on shift change, but they’ll still come runnin’ if they hear ya yellin’! Now, do ya need help getting dressed, or can ya manage?”

Mei stood staring at her in a daze for a solid minute before sighing; “Fine, I will dress. But you will tell me where we’re going, and when we’ll be back. I need to send a message to Hang, in case he comes looking-”

“Nope! No time! And we’ll be back so quick that he may not even ken we left. As long as you can dress with proper speed..”

Mei huffed, slightly annoyed to be cut off again, but she had dressed quickly all the same. She assumed that Rukia was with Tidas or Kari, but something in the pit of her stomach told her that she needed to rush. The sky was starting to transition from pitch black to a deep blue color by the time they had actually left her quarters.

As Mei’s eyes adjusted to the faint light in the sky, she saw who had been watching her daughter..

“You left Rukia with ZAZZY?!”

“By the gods, yer loud in the mornin’! Aye, I left her wit the dragon,” Skye extended her arms towards Zazzy; “Who’s gonna be dumb enough ta mess wit’em?”

With no rebuttal to her question, Skye added in Saianese; “Rukia has wanted to go for a ride on Zazzy since they met, and Zazzy understands how careful she’ll need to be.”

“Please, Momma! Go for ride?! Please?! I’m good! I’m good girl!” Rukia bellowed as she clung to the dragon’s tail.

Her daughter’s cutesy mispronunciation only made it harder for Mei, who knew that they shouldn’t..

“Why are you holding back, Mei?” Skye’s voice was gentle as she asked; “Life is meant to be lived! Spending it stuck in this castle isn’t living: it’s barely surviving. Let me show you what you’re missing, then think on it, okay?”

“Please Momma?” Rukia pleaded with budding tears in her eyes.

Zazzy stretched her long neck towards Mei, and nuzzled at her hand just as the light blue of the sky was starting to give way to colors. Mei stroked Zazzy’s rough scales with a soft smile.. ‘What am I afraid of?’

The thought reverberated within her mind as she looked into her daughter’s shimmering eyes. With a small sigh, Mei smiled widely at her daughter as she replied; “I suppose a quick ride wouldn’t do any harm..”

“YAY!” Rukia screamed joyously, accompanied by a loud happy trill from the young dragon.

Skye grinned cheekily, happy that Mei was ready, but it was a short-lived victory...

Jerking herself straight, Skye went silent a moment before hurriedly rushing them onto the modified saddle. Her eyes darted back to the doorway every other second as she said; “Damn it, time’s up-okay! Let’s get a move on! Up! Up! Up! Let’s go!”

Why the rush?!” Mei exclaimed as she and Rukia took their seats behind where Skye would sit.

“N-No reason! I just dinna want ya two ta miss the sunrise!” Skye half-muttered, half-yelled as she hopped up Zazzy’s wing, and took her seat.

Right as she gave Zazzy the order to take off, Hana came running out of Mei’s quarters with three guards in tow behind her.

“Hana?!” Mei exclaimed as she looked back, but Zazzy was already flapping her wings.

“My lady?! What are you Doing?!” the gusts were strong enough to knock over two of the three guards as Hana and the last one struggled to stay on their feet.

“Dinna worry! We’ll be back in about an hour or so! We’ll take good care of ’em, Hanna! I promise!” Skye yelled as Zazzy lifted off of the ground, and started to move away from the courtyard.

Hana trailed after them, fearful of the terror-filled screams Mei was making as they climbed higher into the early morning sky. The sun was just about to peek over the horizon as Zazzy made her way up into a random patch of clouds. Rukia laughed and exclaimed with joy as the cold fluff of the clouds made contact with her skin.

Mei had pressed her eyelids together like her life had depended upon it as soon as they had left the ground, and Zazzy had roared so loud that her entire body shook. Mei hadn’t known that she had a fear of heights until that moment, never having had the opportunity to learn beforehand. The damp, coolness of the cloud made her flinch right as Skye was looking back at her..

“This whole ride is pointless unless ya open yer eyes!”

Right as they cleared the cloud, Mei opened her eyes...

The sun was coming up over the oceanside of the capital, casting a light glow across the entire city. The pinks, blues, oranges, and reds spread out across the skies like a spilled paint bucket. Painting Mei’s dull world with a myriad of colors. Lost in the beauty of it all, Mei barely heard her daughter muttering her same sentiments.

The red dragon bones cast a rustic tint across the city, giving it a beautifully antiquated quality. As Mei’s eyes roamed over the masterpiece before her, she couldn’t help but whisper; “Is this really the capital?”

“Aye, sis! Tis moments like this that make ya feel Alive!” Skye replied with a cheeky grin plastered to her face.

Mei couldn’t help but smile back as Zazzy started to head out of the capital. It made Mei a bit nervous at first, but there was too much to take in as they coasted along, heading northwest. With the sun shining on their backs, the crisp fall air didn’t feel as biting, even though they were flying several hundreds of feet off of the ground.

Around forty minutes had passed by the time Zazzy had flown them to where she wanted them. They had gone all the way back to where Genie had tested Skye and Zazzy’s teamwork capabilities while flying. The crumbled mountainsides had collapsed even further after being exposed to the elements. Thankfully, where Zazzy was taking them was about a mile away.

“What do ya mean, ‘Get ready fer a dip?’ Dip as in the air, or as in we’re about ta get wet?!” Skye bellowed out of nowhere, surprising Rukia and Mei.

“What’s wrong?!” Mei called out.

Skye glanced back, her annoyance clear as she replied; “I dunno! Zazzy says ta hold on! Apparently, we’re dipping!”

“Dipping? What do you-AHHHHH!”

Before Mei could finish her sentence, Zazzy suddenly plunged once she cleared the top of a mountain. As she held onto the saddle’s extra grip for dear life, Mei heard her daughter laughing hysterically. Looking to her right side, Mei saw that they were flying next to a massive waterfall.

Rukia laughed hard as she watched a large fish falling alongside them in the water, seemingly unnerved by the sudden appearance of humans next to it. Reaching out with one hand, the child let the cold water droplets that looked suspended in the air hit, and gently spread out across her hand.

Right as Mei reached out for her daughter, Zazzy jerked her body to straighten out, so as not to crash. The force nearly flung Mei off of the saddle, but she kept her butt planted by squeezing her thighs together. As they followed the river back towards the capital, Mei grinned broadly as they passed a small tiger family along the bank.

Birds, monkeys, deer, and other varieties of wildlife fled the riverside as Zazzy stretched her wings to nearly the width of the river. As they neared the port town, Zazzy veered upwards, and headed straight for the capital. They’d been gone nearly an hour and a half by the time they crossed over the red dragon bones.

Instead of heading straight back to Genie’s castle, Skye had Zazzy fly low and slow over the now-bustling streets. People cheered and exclaimed as the legendary creature waved her overgrown paw at those she passed. Skye, Rukia, and Mei also smiled and waved as the people’s faces shifted from amazed, to shocked at seeing multiple people riding Zazzy.

It was known that Skye and Tidas rode her, but no one else had before. The few that recognized Mei and Rukia began to spread the word of who was accompanying the Alconian Princess, and the opinions once again seemed to favor Bai Lei’s choice to make his daughter his successor.

Few knew it, but Skye had purposely shown off Mei and Rukia to the public. Seeing the two of them riding on Zazzy made the rumors about the night of the banquet factually supported in the public’s eyes. And it helped to support Mei’s nomination as the next head of her family, despite being a woman..

‘If Mei can take over her da’s position, that’ll help ta open up the discussions of equality fer other women of Sai. How anyone can think gender affects a person’s ability ta do a job is beyond me.. Should only be about the candidates’ suitability of the job, not the gender of the candidates.. Mei would make an excellent head from her family..’

“Skye?! Did you hear me?!” Mei screamed with a panicked tone, snapping her back to reality.

“Ack! Sorry! What’s up?!”

“Hana looks Mad!” Rukia yelled as she pointed to Mei’s courtyard.

After circling the city twice, Zazzy had headed back towards Genie’s castle. Hana and about a dozen guards were waiting for them when they’d returned, and Hana looked ready to kill. Skye sallowed nervously, then called out to Mei; “I think tis best if we land in another courtyard, ya?!”

“I think that would heighten our chances of survival, yes,” Mei replied as Rukia nodded her head in agreement.

As Zazzy went to turn, a massive gust of wind made her maintain her original path, and continue to fly towards Mei’s courtyard.

“What the fu-”

“I think you three have had enough for today,” Genie said as he suddenly appeared next to them; “It’s time to head home. And Zazzy? I think I speak for the entire city when I say that we did Not appreciate that roar at the crack of dawn..”