Learning to Fall

The day had finally come.

At times it had seemed like an impossible task. One that the world was doing its best to stop. Guards, officials, street thugs, the crown, the church. Even his own family. He had to fight them all, tooth and talon, just to get where he was today.

But Aytin was here. Standing on an open field, watching as crews loaded the last handful of crates onto the quartet of waiting dragons.

Ivy and Trademaster Raleigh were at his side, the latter looking on with a professionally pleased expression. He had more than earned that right.

"They're nearly done." Aytin nodded towards where a few dragonettes were checking the lines on an older green dragon by the name of Grenzi.

His comment was met by a noncommittal grunt from the trademaster. "They'll find something wrong. There's always something. If not now, then on the flight out."

"Of course," Ivy agreed. "But after all the work you put in, I doubt it will be anything that the crews and Aytin here can't handle."

"And thank you for that. Again. There's no way I could have managed this all without you. I'm sure Faelon would say the same if he were here."

Trademaster Raleigh shifted his wings in a shrug. "You're resourceful and determined. You would have managed it."

"I doubt it. And even if somehow I had put something together, it wouldn't have gone anywhere near as smooth as this." Aytin waved a hand at the field. "Besides, I know what kind of work you put in. Whatever merchant the guild buys its lamp oil from is going to have a very good month."

That earned a snort, along with soft chuckles from Ivy. "I seem to remember you were there for most of that." He jerked his head towards the younger dragonette.

"Just because I was there doesn't mean I could do what you could. Who got Grenzi out of retirement when there were no other dragons available?"

"Semi-retirement," the trademaster insisted. "She's just choosy about the jobs she takes now. You could have managed without her."

"And all the work you did with the other guilds? I thought I had it all prepared, but of course not. They were going to slow roll me until after midsummer. It was always, 'We can meet you next week,' or 'That quote isn't valid anymore,' or 'We have no record of that meeting.'"

"Boys, boys," Ivy interjected. "You both did a very nice job. No need to be modest about it."

"I wasn't being modest," Raleigh grumped. "I was only doing my job."

"Then accept Aytin's thanks nonetheless. And mine," she added, putting a gentle hand on his arm. "Faelon was lucky to have you here."

He frowned, but eventually nodded. "He deserves better than this."

"He does, but the best we can do is the best we can do. I know he'll appreciate everything you've done."

"Speaking of appreciation." Aytin pulled a small bottle out of his bag and passed it over. "For all the help you've been over the past few months."

The trademaster looked it over and his ears rose in appreciation. "Needlefruit liquor? A product of your- er, former home if I'm not mistaken?"

"They exported quite a bit this last year and the trading house the family works with had a few bottles left." He had discovered the alcohol wholesaler when working with his Uncle Cork, and remembered them when hunting for supplies for the new keep. The owner offered a good deal on the liquor along with a few kegs of ale currently lashed to the backs of dragons.

"Well, I certainly won't refuse." Raleigh tucked the gift away. "I still think that without my help, you would have managed. Maybe not this year, but you would have done it, even if you had to sign up to harvest honey to make it happen."

"Well I'm glad that you helped me avoid that, at least." Aytin shuddered only somewhat theatrically. Dealing with the massive bees and their deadly stings was a job for the desperate or insane.

"And with everything just about done, maybe you should start getting your fellow passengers loaded?" He jerked a chin at the group of eighteen dragonettes waiting at the side of the field. They were holding small bundles and chatting among themselves, watching the crews secure the baggage containing all their worldly possessions.

He'd treated them all to dinner the night before. It was the first time most had met the other people that they would be living alongside, out in Lord Faelon's Keep.

'And doesn't that title feel strange? he thought to himself as he surveyed the crowd. 'I wonder what he'll think of his new subjects?'

Most were younger, with a couple families and a pair of children around ten. Almost all from the capital or one of the nearby towns, save a huntress who grew up in one of the middle keeps.

That was pretty standard for a new keep, from what he'd been told. In fact, they might be better off than many. The wildlings would be there while they got their wings under them.

It also meant that he and Faelon would be the ones the new keep-dwellers would be looking to for guidance until they learned to trust the island's current residents. So he needed to start leading.

"You're probably right." Aytin turned, shifting awkwardly back and forth on his feet, not sure if he should say goodbye or if the trademaster would follow.

Ivy took that moment to step in. "Before you go, I want you to take this to Faelon." She handed over a wax sealed envelope.

"Of course." The letter went into the pocket of his traveling jacket, where the oiled hide would keep it safe from any bad weather.

"And tell him I expect a reply. I know the trademaster is arranging regular stops by traders for at least the next year or two." She waited for a nod of acknowledgement. "Good! Then he has no excuse not to write."

"I'll make sure he replies," Aytin promised.

The old trader stabbed a finger his way. "See that he does. And don't you think you're exempt, either. I expect you to tell me whatever he leaves out. Especially if it embarasses the old lizard."

"Of course Mistress Ivy. Will there be anything else, Mistress Ivy?"

She cackled. "No. Now get on with it, boy. Daylight is burning and you'll be wanting to be on your way soon."

The formal bow he gave was somewhat spoiled by his grin. Then he turned to the trademaster and gave a more subdued bow of farewell, which was returned.

"Give my regards to Faelon," he said while gesturing for Aytin to attend to his duties. "And I wouldn't turn down a letter or two, either. Just to be sure that all the effort I put into this wasn't wasted."

With a final nod, Aytin turned and made his way over to the gaggle of keep-dwellers-to-be. "Hey Antillo," he greeted the carpenter who happened to be closest and looking his way. "All ready? Where's Stelis?"

"Morning Aytin! My mate's over there." He hooked a finger back to a nearby food vendor. "She's just getting one last meal before it's time to leave."

"Smart woman." There were some spices packed away in the cargo, but the next few years were likely to be filled with less variety than those accustomed to city life would be used to.

Antillo grinned. "Don't I know it. You're from the south, right? How are you going to handle nothing but salt for seasoning?"

"Oh, it won't be all that bad. But I lasted half a year with less than that, so I figure I'll manage."

The carpenter's face fell a little. "Right. Sorry."

Aytin waved the apology away. "If I had a problem with it, I wouldn't be going back."

"Fair enough, but-" He stopped, looking at something behind the younger dragonette.

Aytin was just turning around when something soft thudded into his waist, accompanied by simultaneous shouts of, "Cous' Tintin!"

"Tay! Zay! What are you doing here?" Next to maybe his mother, the twins were the last people he had expected to see at the landing fields.

Zay spoke up from where he was wrapped around his leg. "Da said you was about to fly away!"

"And we hadn't seed you in forever!" his brother added from beside him.

"So we maded them bring us to see you before you goed away!"

"Why didn't you come see us before you was going to go?" Tay asked, suddenly looking on the verge of tears.

He had no idea how to explain the whole situation to the pair. "I, uh, I'm sorry. I sort of had a fight and I didn't think I was welcome," he finally told them, awkwardly.

"Yeah, we was there," Zay informed him with all the seriousness a hatchling could impart. "You maded Auntie Norvie real mad."

"And sad, too."

"You should'a just said you's sorry. Then you could'a come back sooner."

Aytin smiled sadly at his cousins. "You're probably right."

Both nodded. "Zay knocked down Jazi's keep tryin' ta land."

"It looked like a bunch of sticks 'n' rocks," the boy in question added.

"And she's real mad when he knocked it over, but den he said he's sorry and helped her fix it and now dey gonna be mates when dey grows up."

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"Really, Zay? Already have a mate picked out?" Aytin was grinning now, and trying his best to keep from laughing at the boys' antics.

"Maybe. Jazi is real nice, but Vee gaved me some of her jerky and we played with her blocks!"

Tay looked askance. "Vee smells funny!"

"Just dat one time her ma maded she eat the weird food."

"She's gonna make you eats the weird food, too!"

Zay's face scrunched up and he shook his head. "No way!"

Glancing away from his arguing cousins, Aytin finally noticed his aunt and uncle looking on from a few paces further back. Gently, he put a hand on each of the boys' shoulders and extricated himself from their grips. "I think your parents want to talk, too. Let's go over to say hi."

"O-kaaaay," they chorused, and followed their older cousin over.

"Uncle Cork. Aunt Shina," he greeted them, neutrally. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Both looked as awkward as he felt, but his uncle forced a small smile onto his face. "The boys missed you. And when I heard that you were going to set off today, well... it's the last chance they will get to see you for a long time."

"Da says you's going away, Cous Tintin. Why you's going away?" Zay demanded.

Aytin crouched down until he was at their level. "I've told you about Faelon, right?" The boys both nodded. "Well, he's been by himself for a long time now. I've got to go back and take care of him."

"But what about us?!" Zay insisted.

"Well, you have your brother, right? And your parents. And all your friends. Faelon doesn't have any of that."

"Oh."

Tay suddenly brightened. "We could come with you!"

"Yeah! Then Faelon gets more friends!"

"And we gets to be friends wit a dragon!"

Aytin smiled a little sadly. "That will have to wait until when you're bigger."

"But why?!"

"Because we're going to have to fly a long, long way to get to Faelon and you're not ready for that."

Zay wasn't going to be deterred. "We can fly! We can fly real far!"

"Mama takes us flying cross the whole city!"

"I'm sure she does," Aytin said, nodding seriously. "But how did you feel after that? Tired?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, we're flying that far and then further for days and days. It's going to be hard even for me, and I told you about that time I flew between islands. But maybe," he added, leaning closer to the boys and dropping into a stage whisper. "Maybe if you work really hard you can get strong enough to come visit someday."

"But that'll take forever!" Tay complained. "We always need ta get bigger! But it never happens!"

"Really? Because I swear you look bigger than the last time I saw you." Aytin held a hand up to the tips of their horns and then moved it to his waist. "Yep, see. At least a finger's length taller since when I first came to stay with you."

The boys looked at each other and back to their cousin, excitement on their faces.

"How big do we need to be?"

"How long will it take?"

"Oh, well, if I can only just make it then you'll need to be at least as big as I am now. But that won't take long, you know? In fact, you should get your mom and dad to start marking a wall every full moon with your height. That's what all my brothers and sisters did."

"Can we do that?" Zay asked, turning to his parents as his brother bobbed his head next to him.

Uncle Cork nodded, thoughtfully. "I think that's an excellent idea. We can use the door to the pantry when we get home."

The pair started jabbering excitedly at that, arguing about how they might be able to grow faster and fly better so that they could visit their cousin.

"You'll be a great father someday," Shina said as she watched.

His mother had told him something similar, right before the fight that ended with him renouncing the family name. Coming from his aunt, though... it felt genuine. Not some scheme to marry him off to a noble house.

"Hopefully that day doesn't come too soon."

"Out on the frontier, it may be sooner than you think."

Aytin nodded to his uncle, then waited. After a dozen heartbeats passed in awkward silence and shuffling wings, he sighed. "Look, it was... good seeing you. And Tay and Zay. But we have to get things loaded and-"

"Wait." Cork held up a hand. "We really did want to come and wish you a safe journey. I know that you and my sister didn't part on good terms-"

That got a snort. "It was a little more than that."

His uncle gave a bare smile. "Maybe, but I'm supposed to be the face of the Luffins in the capital. That means I have to be diplomatic."

"What my mate is trying to say is that even after what happened that morning, we still consider you family."

Aytin felt a surging inside of him at the unexpected words. "Thank you Aunt Shina. Uncle Cork. I... That means a lot."

Then he felt a bit of that sink away. "You know I can't come back, right? Even if my mother would have me, I just... There's Rina. And Faelon, he needs me. And all of this." He waved an arm at the assembled dragons.

"We understand," Cork said. "And we're not asking you to. We just wanted you to know."

It was a gesture, but a heartfelt one. "I was worried that after everything, well..."

"I'll admit, it was a shock," his uncle said, ears dipping slightly. "Your mother was in quite a state after you... left."

Shina laughed at that. "I had to take the boys out until dinner. They couldn't stop crying with their aunt stomping around the house and shouting at the top of her lungs."

"And we got an ear-full from the neighbors the next day."

"A bunch of shameless gossips, too. They just wanted to know all the juicy details so they could pass them along."

Aytin winced. "I really didn't mean for things to spill over. Part of why I didn't say anything sooner was I didn't want to make things harder for you, uncle."

The older dragonette waved it away. "Oh, there was a little talk, but nothing more than that. You're not the first minor noble to throw away their name and you'll be far from the last. I dare say that you'll make something better of yourself than most of them ever do."

"Well, I'm glad you think so. After letting me stay with you and trying to teach me... Well, I didn't want to hurt you or the family. I just had things I needed to do, and I was worried that you hated me for throwing it all away."

Cork nodded with Shina following a moment later. "I just wish you had said something sooner," he said to his nephew.

"Would it have really changed anything? Or just made it harder in the end? I've had a lot of time to think about this, you know?" And Aytin had. Quite a few late nights and long days.

His uncle sighed. "I don't know. It just would have been nice to know. But." He brightened with only slightly forced cheer. "That's all behind us now, and we're here to wish you luck in your future, not dwell on the past."

"And we have something for you," Shina added. "Boys! Bring over Cousin Aytin's present!"

The pair stopped their chatter and darted for their mother's bag. Zay emerged with a lacquered wooden box. Tay immediately latched onto the other side and together they held it out for Aytin.

He took it and lifted up the top, curious as to what the contents might be. Inside, nestled in a fine blue velvet, were a pot of ink, a small bronze knife, two paperweights, a blotting stone, and several quills. Closer examination showed the padded insert could be removed, and underneath it rested several sheets of bleached white parchment.

"I understand that Faelon might be lord of the keep you're going to be a part of, but you will be his representative. Regent, even."

"I wouldn't go quite that far, uncle," Aytin said, pulling one of the quills out of the box. It was from a goose, fine and straight with an excellent tip.

"Oh? And what have you been doing for the past few months if not just that sort of work?"

"I think it will be a bit different when I get back, though. Faelon doesn't need me to tell people what to do. He can do it himself."

"He obviously trusts you, and it's clear that his trust paid off." Cork looked around pointedly. "To be honest, when you told me that you were going to help Faelon rebuild a frontier keep, I didn't think you'd be able to do it. Or that you would hire someone to handle it and it would take a year or two and a pile of gold."

"I had a lot of help."

His uncle nodded. "I'm sure you did. That's the mark of a good leader, someone who can convince the right people to work with them. You don't think your many times great grandmother built Luffin Keep alone, do you?"

"It just doesn't feel the same," Aytin said with a shrug. "I've been lucky."

"And I've seen how hard you've worked to stretch the luck you've had as far as it would go. I'm sure that Faelon would agree."

Shina bobbed her head in her own agreement. "He's lucky to have you."

"I'm glad you think so. And thank you for your gift. It's going to see quite a bit of use with all the people demanding we write to them." Aytin settled the lid back on the box and stowed it in his bag.

Cork coughed a little at that last part. Hesitantly, he ventured, "Speaking of, we would love to hear from you as well. Especially your cousins."

"Of course!" He gave the boys a wide grin. "I'll tell you all about life on the frontier, even if it probably won't be very exciting this time."

"And if there's anything you would like to pass on to the rest of the family..." His uncle trailed off as Aytin's smile faded.

"I, uh, don't know if that would be the best idea. You didn't make it sound like mother was very happy with me."

Cork sighed. "My sister is a proud woman. But I believe with time, she will forgive you. Especially if you are the one to reach out first."

"You're not the first person to say that," Aytin remarked, remembering a conversation with Ivy less than two weeks before. "I'll keep your words in mind."

"Wait a few seasons. Maybe even a year. I'll let you know if I think she'll be ready sooner than that, but I doubt it. In the meantime, though, Norvinia isn't the only member of the family I'd be willing to pass a message on to. You were always telling me how close you and your sister Lin were." Cork raised an expectant eyeridge.

"Oh. Oh!" The young dragonette's eyes went wide, then flicked down to his bag. He hadn't written anything to Lin because he was sure that his mother would get to it first and burn it. "Would you, umm..."

His uncle laughed. "The dragons are waiting on you, not us."

"Right." Aytin pulled his gift back out, and quickly scrawled a few lines.

Lin,

I'm sorry for everything. Uncle said he'd get this to you. Send a reply to him. Miss you. About to leave for the frontier to help build a keep for Faelon. I will write again when I can.

Love,

Tin

It wasn't much as letters went, but he was already starting to get looks from the dragons and their crews. Everything was loaded, and they were just waiting on him.

The ink was still wet when he handed the sheet over. "Thank you. Thank you all." He looked between his aunt and uncle, then stooped over to put an arm around his cousins. "Looking forward to seeing you two when you're all grown up."

They boys hugged their big cousin, tears in their eyes, and refused to let go. In the end, Shina had to pry them off of his legs so Aytin could pick up his bag and hurry over to the lead dragon, Grenzi.

As the big green took to the skies and turned east, Aytin looked down. Ivy was still there, next to Trademaster Raleigh. They watched as the quartet of dragons slowly rose, hands shielding their eyes against the bright morning sun.

It took a few moments to spot his aunt and uncle. They were with Tay and Zay, who had taken flight to try and follow their cousin. Even with the dragons ascending slowly, the boys were gradually falling behind as the westerly wind propelled the expedition onward. Eventually, their small wings couldn't handle the exertion and they began to descend, waving to Aytin as he waved back.

Soon enough, the capital itself began to shrink. First to the size of a hand. Then a talon. Then it was just a white speck in the distance. And finally, it disappeared completely.

Wind tore tears from Aytin's eyes as he turned. He took a deep breath to steady himself. Then he made his way forward. When he reached the base of Grenzi's neck, he looked onward, towards the horizon. Towards his destination. Towards his friends and, maybe, his new family.

Towards home.