Chapter 25: Learning to Accept

Alyssa

I woke with a cramp in my stomach. This is what I get for not eating. I got out of bed and dusted myself off. Vincent turned in his sleep and opened his eyes. “Baby, come back to bed,”

“I’m hungry, I’ll be back in bit,” I said as I walked out of his room.

“I’m coming with you. Astarot and I could use some nourishment,” Vincent laughed.

Vincent and I walked to the empty kitchens; I made myself a large plate of food. I made Three sandwiches, a large portion of cut vegetables, and a glass of water.

“You’re really going to eat all that?” Vincent looked at me and shook his head while he smiled.

“Shut up. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday,” I stuck my tongue out.

“Well leave some bread out for me, please,” Vincent scoffed.

“I don’t think so,” I laughed.

I took the food I made for myself, while Vincent took a few leftovers. It kept giving me a look of worry as I was eating a bit fast.

“You know I can see you staring at me right?”

“I wasn’t staring at you,” Vincent coughed.

“Sure,” I rolled my eyes. “I have to get ready for school,”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss school. I hate staying in bed,” Vincent grunted.

“Last time I checked, you doing anything but that,” I rolled my eyes again.

“Aww, don’t like that, darling; I’ll see you tonight. I have a training session with Elizabeth after school,” I said.

Vincent nodded. I bent over and placed a small kiss on his cheek. I went to my bedroom and put on an everyday black dress.

School passed quickly; to say that tensions were high in the school would be an understatement. People were wondering why there was an emergency council meeting tonight. What had happened? I could feel some people staring at me during the day. The students somehow discovered that I was fated to Vincent. They knew none of the siblings had been at school since last week. I couldn’t wait for the final bell to ring so I could escape all the staring. I ran to the school field and shifted in front of all the students chasing me for answers about the whereabouts of Alexandria and Vincent and flew away.

I shifted back to where Elizabeth was waiting for me. “Sorry I’m late,” I said.

“No worries, I can tell that you were running from somthing, students perhaps?” Lizzy said.

“Yeah, are we shifting today?” I asked.

“No, not today. I want to see if you can conjure that light in your hand again,” Lizzy crossed her hands.

“I’m not sure that a good idea,” I shook my head at her with worry.

“Listen, Alyssa. I was in your mind yesterday, and although you tried to hide your feelings, I could tell you were shaken about killing those dragons. That energy you can conjure, it may be one of a kind. You are also scared about hurting someone again,” Elizabeth smiled.

“What if next time, I hurt someone I care about, what if I hurt Vincent?” I sobbed.

“Impossible; he is immune to your power, and vice versa. Mates can’t harm one another, but you have to have some control over your abilities so you don’t cause any accidents.

“Lizzy is right you know,” Dahlia said.

“Why do you only talk to me when I don’t want to talk to you?” I growled at her.

“Because I know how stubborn you are, and I’m making sure you take the help Elizabeth is offering,” Dahlia scoffed.

“Alright, I’ll try,” I breathed deeply.

“Good, we’ll take things slowly. First, try to do it. Then we’ll see what we have to work on,” Elizabeth said.

I started training with Elizabeth and doing exercises. I’ve been trying to conjure the same ball of golden light. So far, I have had no luck.

“Picture that power in your hands; think about that light you’re controlled,” Elizabeth said.

I focused on my hands and closed my eyes. Dahlia and I concentrated our powers together, but we didn’t feel anything. “It’s not working,” I said, frustrated.

“Mastering special abilities will take some time. You need to have paitience,”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone, and if I don’t get control of my powers, that could happen. You don’t know what it’s like to fear your powers,” I said. “You’re a water dragon,

Without warning, Elizabeth turned into her blue dragon. She took a few steps back from me and looked onto the field before us. She was ultimately still with her eyes closed, then opened her mouth and shot hot scalding water. I stepped closer and could smell this awful stench as I moved closer. The grass was melting. That wasn’t water; that was acid!

Water Dragons can shoot acid from their mouth!!! I could not help but feel stupid for my comment when Elizabeth shifted back to her human form.

“I’m sorry for what I said,” I apologized.

“I understand how you feel about your powers and accidentally hurting others. My brother, we were flying and practicing our water spitting. As water dragons, we have an extra sac alongside our stomach. With it, we can suck in water, heat or cool it, and spit it out with great force. Everything was fine until I started to feel weird. I thought I was getting tired, and I didn’t want my brother to think I would chicken out of training. But something different came out the next time I spit at my bother. The next thing I knew, my brother was screaming with his shoulder turning red. I quickly pushed him into the water, preventing the acid from burning him more. He passed out from the pain, but I pulled him out of the water. When he woke up, he had a big burn on half of his back and shoulder. That is how I learned the Moon Goddess blessed me with this rare ability,” Elizabeth told me her story.

“Trust me, I know what it’s like to fear your powers, but I learned to control it over time. I didn’t dare to spit at anything for the next three years after it happened,” Lizzy continued.

“What happened to your brother after that?” I asked.

“Well, my brother knew I didn’t do it intentionally and forgave me almost instantly. I’m reminded of that horrific event every time I see the scar on his back,” Lizzy said softly.

“How did you get control?” I asked her.

“My mom told me that I shouldn’t fear my powers as the Goddess bestowed them to me, and I should get a grip and start learning how to control them. I went away for a few years after my mom pulled the stick out of my ass. I found a place where I found practice without hurting others, and when I got control, I came back. Soon, I devoted my life to studying these rare abilities to help dragons get control,” Lizzy said.

“What should I do to help get control?” I said.

“Look over the field in front of you, acknowledge that you are alone, and that you can’t hurt anyone. Close your eyes, think about your ability. For you to gain control, you have to accept that it’s a part of you. Don’t fight your magic, Alyssa. Embrace it!” Lizzy said with passion. “Become one,”

I listened to her words; I thought about the night I killed Devin and the golden light in my hand. I defended myself, so why was I so shaken up about it? I would be dead if I didn’t fight back. Dahlia would be dead if I didn’t fight.

“Stop blaming yourself!” Dahlia screamed.

“I’m not!” I said.

“Yes, you are. You need to stop blaming yourself for something you are not at fualt for,” Dahlia cried out.

“I’m don’t blame myself,” I screamed at her.

“Yes, you do!” Dahlia roared

“SHUT UP!” Suddenly, I could feel that energy in my hand again. I had forgotten everything while arguing with Dahlia. That was her plan. I stared at the golden light shining in my hands.

“Perfect!” Elizabeth said proudly. “Now, release it,”

I ensured the field was empty; I focused on a point where I would fire. I took a deep breath, pushed my hand forward, and opened my hands as much as possible. The energy left my hand as the ball shot out and hit the area I aimed for.

There was a small explosion where the ball landed, leaving a circle of burnt grass behind.

Well done, Alyssa. Well done!” Lizzy clapped.

“I did it!” I cheered.

Vincent

Audrey and I walked to the hospital to visit Mom; I still feel the connection as mother and son. I hope that she’s alive. “Excuse me, I’m also looking for Dr. Solus,” I said.

“Of course, he is in his office. Follow me,” the nurse said.

The nurse led us to Dr. Solus’s office and knocked on the door. The nurse then smiled and left us to speak with him. “Vincent, Audrey, it’s good to see you,” Dr. Solus smiled. “How is you’re shoulder, Vincent?”

“Still a bit sore,” I said.

“I will take a look at it soon. Now, I have news about your mother. Queen Rosetta is no longer in critical condition but is still in a coma,”

My heart sank when I heard this. If my mom dies, I will never inherit the ancestral memories of my ancestors, the collective knowledge of all who came before. It will be lost forever; my mom said I am not ready to carry the legacy of the White Dragons, but one day, I will be.

“Will she wake up?” Audrey asked.

“Right now, it’s up to your mother. But it could take some time,” Dr. Solus said.

“I want to see her,” Audrey said.

“Yes, you can; go talk to the nurse, and she will take you to see your mother,” Dr. Solus smiled.

“Thank you,” Audrey sniffled and left.

“She’s hurting,” I said. “She’s been crying most of the time. I didn’t want to ask this, but do you think we should proceed with the funeral? Mom would’ve liked to attend, but putting it on hold is also problematic,”

“I don’t think you should wait. Even though your mother is out of the critical stage, I think it would help your three find some closure,” Dr. Solus suggested.

“Okay, thank you,” I nodded.

“Of course, Vincent. Now, may I look at your shoulder to make sure it’s healing as it should be?” Dr. Solus asked me.

“Yeah, of course,” I took my shirt off and turned my back to him.

“It’s still quite red. You haven’t been resting for the past two days, have you?” Dr. Solus said.

“Well, I might have gone to the gym yesterday,” I confessed as I chuckled.

“I thought we had a deal,” Dr. Solus groaned. Solus hovered his hand over and should, and it began to glow. I could feel the heat on me. “How’s that?”

“Much better, thank you, Dr. Solus. Most of the stiffness is gone,” I smiled as I put my shirt back on.

“Good, but that doesn’t mean that you should engage in any physical activity yet,” Dr. Solus said.

“Why is everyone bossing me around lately?” I scoffed.

“I’m guessing, Alyssa?” Dr. Solus grinned.

“Among the few,” I scoffed again.

“Every day, I’m starting to like that girl more and more,” Dr. Solus laughed. “Now, if we are done here, I must adjust the protection wards around the hospital and help the other nurses and doctors,”

“Of course, please inform me of any updates,” I said.

“Of course, Vincent,” Dr. Solus placed his hand on my shoulder. I left his office and headed to my mother’s hospital room. Audrey was talking to herself; I’m guessing she was talking to Laufay.

Seeing my mother hooked up to all these machines keeping her alive was strange.

“Hi, Mom,” Audrey paused, then started crying again.

“Our mom is strong. She’ll pull through,” I hugged her.

“We already lost dad, we can’t lose mom too,” Audrey replied and wiped her eyes.

“It will be alright, I promise,” I smiled at her.

I returned to the palace and did homework that was sent from school. Just a few more workbook pages, and I’m done. I heard someone knocking on my door. “Come in,”

“Hey, I’m surprised to see that you are in your room taking it slowly.” Alyssa said.

I put my homework down. “What can I say? I didn’t want to get scolded again,”

“Wise choice,” Alyssa said seductively.

I pulled her in and claimed her lips. My heart started beating faster. My hands wrapped around her waist, holding us close together. I love being in her arms, wildly kissing each other.

“What was that for?” Alyssa asked.

“Can’t I kiss my mate without a reason?” I said.

“Of course, kiss me more, Vincent,” She begged.

“As you wish,” Vincent growled lovingly.

At that moment, I felt Alyssa’s hand sneaking underneath my shirt, pulling it off. I lost myself as I removed her clothes, and she kissed me. We were both standing in our underwear. My hands are on her back, sliding down lower and lower. But she pushed me away when I touched a rough part of her skin, her scars.

“Vincent, stop! You’re supposed to be taking it easy,” Alyssa said.

“Well, you told me to stay in bed, right?” I tried to kiss her again but backed away.

“Well, sex wasn’t what I had in mind,” Alyssa said.

Without further explanation, Alyssa walked to my bathroom. I heard her crying uncontrollably. “Alyssa, please talk to me,” Alyssa opened the door. “Tell me what is wrong,”

“It’s my scars,” Alyssa said as I wrapped my hand around her waist. I wanted to comfort her. I turned her around and placed my hand under her chin, pulling her head up for our eyes to meet.

“I don’t care about the scars, Alyssa,” I said.

“They’re ugly,” Alyssa’s voice muffled on my bare chest.

“Listen, you are perfect, and I would never change anything about you. We are destined to be together; I’m your fated mate. I love you, Alyssa,”

I kissed her cheek and then on her neck. I traveled my kisses downwards towards her collarbone. I went further down where my eyes met her stomach, my hands on her hips, and I kissed her stomach. I made sure my kisses were small and soft. I returned to eye level, looking at her closely.

Alyssa’s lips again met mine; this time, she didn’t mind feeling my hands on her scars. Why did the moon goddess give me the perfect woman, the perfect dragon? “As much as I want to continue this, we might be late for the meeting,”

“Then go take a shower, and I will get ready in my room,” Alyssa winked. “I will see you at the meeting, Vincent,”

The island will be turned upside down when the Kingdom gets the news about what happened that night. I hope that everything will turn out okay.