“Alright, everyone’s on board, pull up the anchor!”

There were numerous things crossing Victor’s mind as the chains of the anchor rattled. Fear, for the unknown which lay ahead. Curiosity, for being among the first to stumble upon that unknown. And anxiety, for this unknown’s true nature. Part of him wasn't sure about following a stranger on a wild goose chase to an unknown island, a stranger who wasn't keen on someone abandoning their draconic form to begin with. Perhaps something far more sinister lurked underneath.

As the ship set out northwards, Victor laid himself down on the front deck, Celesta following his lead soon thereafter. The wind was with the ship, thankfully. The voyage wouldn’t be long, and hopefully it wouldn’t be dangerous.

Alas, as he breathed in his first breath of sea air, it became apparent it wouldn’t be comforting. Salt and cold. Every breath was nothing more. First the all encompassing stench of salt, followed by a wave of cold. Such was life on open waters. Victor shivered in his scales, even after Celesta was kind enough to drape a wing over his body. To think there’s actually maniacs that can handle all this.

After a while of sailing along the shores of Lokahn, Victor tilted his head slightly up, facing the one who had put him into this position. “Celesta, are you sure about this? Is there really a cure- well, you know what I mean on this island?”

The lavender dragoness gave him a tap on his shoulder. “It’ll be okay, Vic. All the texts I've read, all the scholars and priests we've spoken to have said the same thing. There should be something big up on Snowcap Island. That’s why this whole expedition was approved of to begin with.”

“Well, but no one’s been there in quite a while, right? How could they know about it?”

Celesta raised a talon to the tip of her snout. “Hmm, well, they must have studied for quite some time. There should be more than a few mentions of this place buried in all those books, I think. Well, all of them had another text to add onto the pile, anyway. You should have faith, Victor. It does wonders.”

Victor sighed, as he watched the water brush against the ship. “I just hope we’re not on a wild goose chase here. That’s all.”

Hours were spent awaiting the arrival at Snowcap Island. The atmosphere was uneasy; the seas were as dull as was possible. The lone company the two had all the while were the shouts of the sailors at work, and the waves crashing back and forth. The tedium was broken sparingly, once when Victor got to watch Celesta hunt for fish, which he struggled to eat, and once when the ship passed by a lonely fishing village. There was no one in sight: no farmers tending to their fields, no fishermen bringing in the day’s catch, no children playing around under the watchful eyes of their parents. A desolate husk of a tower loomed nearby. Victor’s eyes were glued to the ruins, until they vanished behind the stern of the ship.

* * *

Upon reaching a small rocky peninsula, the ship turned westward towards the ocean. After a few minutes, the mists gave way to a snowy mountain rising above a forested island. A village lay at the nearest shore, which the ship was headed for.

“Land in sight! Land in sight!”

The sailors jumped into action. Celesta tugged on Victor’s foreleg, trying to work up some excitement within him. “Vic, Victor! Wakey wakey, we’re finally here! Snowcap Island, let’s go!”

The red dragon took one good look at the village ahead, before brushing Celesta’s claw aside. “Can it not wait? I’d rather not be the first one to disembark, and have to explain myself, if you don’t mind.”

Celesta chuckled. “Oh, it won’t be a problem at all, just put on the biggest smile you have, and everything should turn out well! Getting to know new people, discovering new things and places, it’ll be fun, Victor! No need to be so negative, you know.”

All Victor could reply with was a long, tired sigh. “I once believed in opportunities too, Celesta. One day I got one that held so much promise. And after it killed half of my family and ruined my life, let’s just say I stopped believing.”

“W-well, that’s...” Celesta fell silent. At times, it was easy to forget that she was half-deaf to a story such as Victor's. “I understand you.”

Victor licked his lips. “My apologies. But, I’m just not so keen on these things, that’s all,” he said, before nervously gulping the buildup in his mouth. “What makes you think this’ll be pleasant? I mean, we don’t know who we’ll find in that village, let alone if they would accept people like us.”

Celesta remained silent. Victor couldn’t help but to keep observing the village, nervous as to what would transpire once the ship had docked. Some of the townsfolk had by now noticed the ship descending upon their island. One drew a dagger all of a sudden, and held it to the throat of a nearby guard, who timidly fell onto his knees in response. Victor’s heart skipped a beat.

“Cel? What is happening over there?”

The dragoness narrowed her eyes. “Hmm… It seems like those guards are imperial troops. No, scratch that, I’m certain of it. Look, they all have that little hammer on their breastplate. That’s odd, though, weren’t the imperials supposed to have evacuated everything this far out?” she said.

In the brief time she narrated, the situation escalated further. Now there were a dozen knife wielders holding the tip of their blades at the throats of various guards, with more emerging from their homes to follow in their footsteps. A group of onlookers had gathered by the docks to cheer them on. Victor shrank backwards. I’ve got a bad feeling about this…

When the ship reached the docks, all the local guards had been marched out to the docks, disarmed, and forced to kneel on the dirt. The locals had gathered at the mouth of the pier, giving their guests a hero’s welcome. Victor’s ears flicked upwards to listen. Liberator? But all we did was show up. At least they didn’t kill anyone, so that’s good.

Once the anchor had been lowered, the ship’s crew was free to get off. The two dragons made their way to the middle of the ship, where the sailors were waiting their turn to disembark.

“Alright then, are you ready, Victor?”

“I am. They don’t appear unfriendly.”

With a flick of his wings, Victor set his feet on dry land. Right afterwards, he turned tail to face the crowd, and waved at them with a single claw. Fortunately, the crowd was more relaxed here than the one which greeted him in Westedge. They mostly kept their hands at bay, a few children notwithstanding.

“Hello there, friend! What brings you to our little island?”

“Those imperial bastards are finally gone, thank goodness! I was wondering if I could ever stop paying those outrageous taxes!”

“Hey, do you have anything to share? From the mainland, I mean. We don’t get much news out here.”

After the two dragons had run the gauntlet, the crowd dispersed over the area. Some stuck around to inquire further, others went back to their lives. In the meantime, some of the sailors got to work preparing the guards for the trip back to Frontier Harbour. Only minutes after the first flash of a blade, the revolt had come to a peaceful conclusion. Victor felt funny inside.

Well, I guess that all happened, hah. Didn’t think it was possible for this to end up being so… clean. Could’ve blinked and missed it. Oh well, at least I won’t have to fight for my life here, what with all the children around and all. That would’ve been-

A poke on his side shook Victor out of his daydreams. His lavender companion entered his eyesight, as agreeable as ever with a toothless smile. “Alright, we’re here. Snowcap Island. What do you think?”

Victor buried his tongue in his cheek. “I don’t know. The people here seem alright, but the rest is a mystery. But I do like that we didn’t have to fight anyone here, that would’ve been terrible.”

Celesta closed her eyes, her tail swishing joyously through the air. “I’m happy about it too. You know, cityfolk have always been a bit too emotional for my tastes. Sure, I can get being happy over things, but my father taught me to always stay humble.”

The red dragon shrugged. “I can see where he’s coming from. You were there in Westedge too, right? For the celebrations after the battle? Something about that kind of reaction makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Celesta nodded. “Oh, I agree. But you can’t fault them for being so ecstatic, can you? After all the misery of these last few years, such an event cannot hurt.”

“Misery?” Victor’s eyes narrowed. “Pardon me, but I do not really understand you when you say that. Or anyone else for that manner. I’ve had a comfortable existence the entire time. Yet every dragon I’ve talked to claims otherwise.”

For a moment, silence fell. The sounds of the town’s routine filled the air, from the bells of a fisherman’s boat, to children playing hide and seek, and the local blacksmith hammering away. “It’s a long story, Victor. My father could probably explain it better than I ever could, but I’ve seen more than a fair share of… everything.”

Victor raised an eye. “What do you speak of?”

Celesta gave a tired sigh in response. Her eyelids drooped down, as if they had suddenly been burdened by a day’s harvest. “Well, my parents were both practicing Draconists, and active in our community. They spent their days lending their hands to the villagers, as any missionary would. Helping with the harvest, solving disputes, that sort of thing. They were wonderful people, you couldn’t find anyone in the village who had a word of bad to tell about them. It was an innocent time.”

The wind rolled down from the mountain. It emitted a deep whistle as it sheared past the dark pines around the village. “Well, what happened then? How did it end?” asked Victor.

“Not here,” Celesta replied. “Come, let’s go somewhere quiet to talk about this.”

The two dragons left the open area behind, making their way to the end of a deserted pier on the edge of the village, where they sat down side by side. No one but the gulls flying overhead could hear a word of what either would say. “Well, here we are,” Victor said. “I think it’ll be quiet enough here.”Celesta spent a few seconds gazing out over the murky seas, before she spoke.

“It all began when the Justitians came. First, they forcibly closed our local temple. The temple I had been baptized in, the temple my parents poured their heart and soul into. On a small bulletin board, they saidit was for the greater good, that we were no longer ‘enslaved to demons’. And it all escalated from there. First we were harassed by foreign troops and taxmen on a weekly basis, then daily. Everyone who had written in the temple’s book was an acceptable target, and their children, too. Then, the guards began to beat my parents, like thugs, demanding they repent their sins to Justitia...”

Celesta shuddered. Her smile had vanished, and her tail had sunk to the dirt: She appeared less comfortable by the word. Victor stepped in to comfort her a little, gently stroking her neck. “It’s alright, it’s alright.” My goodness, it’s as if the energy has been sucked out her body.

“Thank you,” Celesta replied, timid as a mouse.

“Do you… would you like to stop? Because I would understand it if you did,” Victor said. The lavender dragoness gave him a gentle nod in response; rays from a buried sun were reflected in her eyes.

“It’s alright. Thank you, Victor. I’ll tell you everything, don’t worry about me.”

Victor licked at his gums. “Okay then… how did it all end? Your time at the village, I mean.”

After refreshing her lungs with a deep breath, Celesta continued. “One day, my mother ventured out into the nearby woods to collect some ingredients for a jam. We never saw her again after she left. My father knew we weren’t safe any longer. That night, me, my father and my little brother packed as much as we could, and left the village behind.” She paused to wipe something out of her eyes. “And that’s how I ended up here.”

For the longest while, Victor kept to himself. He regretted ever asking her that little question. If a dragon could blush, he would’ve. After an encouraging gesture from the purple, he found the courage to ask further. “Is it… difficult for you? Even after all this time?”

Celesta nodded. “Some of that pain never goes away. I think you know that yourself.”

Victor lowered his head. “Yes, I know.” And I’ll never forget it. “But… I wonder, do you hold a grudge over any of it? I mean, you’ve lost much to the Justitians, and yet you still chose to spend your time taking care of all the prisoners. And your father does so too. Why?” he replied. The lavender dragoness had turned her head away from the seas ahead, a toothless smile on her snout.

“Because I know better than that, Victor. Believe me, I was angry for the longest time. I wanted to avenge my mother, and all the others who fell to those horrible people. But when I got the chance, when I found a lone soldier who had gotten lost, I couldn’t do it. Those eyes… he was just a youngster, doing what he felt was right. Like me. Like us all. I let go of whatever anger I had right then. Deep down, I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted things to be right again.”

“You seem to have let go of those thoughts entirely,” Victor said, the tip of his tail twitching on the wooden floor. “It’s kind of surprising, to be honest. Even my father’s not immume to it.” I wonder how he’s doing, what with me not present. William must miss me too...

“Well, it’s like I said, I never wanted to hurt anyone. All I ever wanted was to better the world. But, you know...” Celesta then laid a claw on Victor’s chest. “It’s why I came to you, after all.”

The red dragon’s eyelids flickered over the blue. “M-me? But why?”

A soft chuckle spilled from Celesta’s jaws. “You might not be aware of it yourself, but you have this air around you, Victor. When I saw you in the square back then, you seemed lost, like that lone soldier was. So alone, a heavy look on your face, I could tell something was off. You looked worse than all those people we were feeding.”

Victor’s chest began to sting a little. “Oh… I didn’t know that.” Alas, it was difficult to hear, difficult enough to make his pointy ears pull backwards slightly. All the time spent living under the conviction of his monstrousness had done its work. But it was the gods’ judgement, and there was no objecting to it.

Celesta patted his chest several times. “Don’t worry about it, Victor. There’s plenty of brightness in you, I can practically smell it,” she said, raising herself back to all fours. “Now, I think we’ve spent enough time reminiscing. We should get back to what we were here for, don’t you agree?”

Victor pressed his tongue against his cheek for a moment before responding. “Yeah, I agree.”

* * *

“Hey, you two.”

A man called for them mere moments after setting returning to the open area in the harbour. Not the youngest tadpole in the pond, given his greyed beard. Celesta was quick to reply, a relief for the red dragon.

“Greetings, sir. Is there something we can help you with?”

The man shrugged. “Oh, ‘s not much. Just wanted to know what you two were up to, that’s all.”

Celesta gave a slight nod in response. “Well, we’re here to get to the top of that mountain, sir. Actually, it’s funny you came around, since we wanted to ask around a bit for information. Is there anything special we need to know before we make the climb?”

“Alright, you want to climb the Snowcap, I see. Just gimme a second. Got to knock out the stiffness real quick.” The man took his time to stretch everything from his neck to his legs, a process marred by snaps and groans. “Right, pry those ears open. Don’t want to end up like those imperials a few years ago, I promise you that.”

“Understood, sir,” Victor said, before his tongue docked into one of his cheeks. Let’s not ask any further about that.

The man cleared his throat. “Alright, here’s two things you need to know. One, it’s always cold up there. Two, there’s some nasty beasties up on that mountain. How they manage to survive, no one knows. But they’re there alright, and they’re dangerous. Now, those claws and teeth of yours’ll probably protect well, and keep you fed too, while we’re at it. But don’t underestimate the Snowcap, you hear?”

“We will not, sir,” Celesta replied.

“Alright then, anything else I can help you lot with?”

“No, not really.”

“Well, have a good day, then.”

As quick as he approached, so too did the man walk off, nonchalantly returning to his own routine. Many of the other villagers Victor and Celesta spoke to weren’t much different, their accented voices as plain in tone as could be. But they had no reservations about sharing some helping words, and after a few more unremarkable conversations, Celesta turned towards Victor.

“I think that should be enough, don’t you think?”

Victor rolled his eyes. “Given that we pestered half the village, yes. Everyone’s said the same, right? Watch out for the monsters, look out for those springs to warm up, and stay warm. Am I missing anything?”

Celesta chuckled. “No, not really. Alright, I think that should be good enough for the day. We should rest up for now, and start climbing when dawn breaks tomorrow. Does that sound fair?”

“Well, yes. I’d rather not get attacked in the middle of the night. But I’m not too keen on sitting around here all day long,” Victor said.

“Hmm… ” Celesta raised a claw to her chin. “Well, we can help around the town for a while. Or go hunting, too-”

“Helping around the town sounds good. Let’s do that.” Victor didn’t give Celesta the chance to so much as breathe before he walked off. The lavender dragoness shook her head.

“I’ll get that out of him, someday.”