THE SECOND REALM: ORANGE — A way to be together

Skyblue began spending some afternoons with her companions and others resting in the orange tree. Sometimes she had already accepted an invitation when she realized she did not want to go.

One afternoon, a lace with whom she had shared good times invited her to join him on a trip to the far end of the realm. Skyblue was tired. She had promised to help Eolin the next morning and wanted to return to the orange tree early.

“Not today,” she replied.

The lace shrank back, offended.

“You always used to come.”

The dragon felt the urge to take back her words. She could go, sleep a little less, arrive tired. It would not be so bad. But she already knew where that reasoning led: afterward, she would be angry with him because she had agreed to do something she did not want to do.

“I used to say yes even when I needed to rest,” she explained. “I like being with you. Tonight I want to stay in my tree.”

The lace did not seem satisfied and went away. Skyblue almost called him back. Instead, she stayed where she was for a while, feeling the discomfort without rushing to put it right at any cost.

They met again the next day. Still a little annoyed, he told her about his trip with less enthusiasm than usual. She listened until their conversation found its rhythm again.

Gradually, she built a friendship with Eolin. They could talk, learn together, or sit in silence. Skyblue did not have to do anything extraordinary to deserve her company.

One night, in the orange tree, she thought of the bonds that distance had not undone: Ernesto, Yaseee, Evarista, her parents. She remembered Aurora and her friends from the Sangha. They were not beside her, yet they held a living place in her heart. Helio was still there, too, even when Skyblue could not see the golden shape overhead.

She felt the quiet comfort of their company, without needing to rush out and find someone.

That calm allowed her to see her childhood in a different light. She had suffered the dragons’ rejection and had learned to protect herself by scorning them before they could hurt her. She could not change what they had done, but that defense remained standing long after each offense. She had never even considered sharing her life with another dragon.

She thought of Evarista. The healer knew the villagers, their fears, their stubbornness, and loved them all the same. She had no need to control them or prove herself better than they were. She remained herself and was willing to help when they needed her.

Skyblue felt tenderness at the thought of her. She had much to learn, and she wanted to learn it.