Take Me to the Willow Tree

This is a fanfiction by .oOEclipseOo. and only her. Do not steal, vandalize, or plagiarize this fanfiction.
So, this is just a little fanfiction I whipped up for Kitty's writing contest. I would summarize what it's about, so I don't want to spoil much . It was supposed to be a short story, but it caame out longer than expected, so sorry about that. xP Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!
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I remember my grandfather. I only knew him when I was a small dragonet, young and naive and still learning the ways of the world, but he is still fresh in my memory as if I had just talked to him yesterday. I remember how his legs trembled when he walked and his bones were frail and weak. I remember how his wings were torn in many places like a moth-eaten curtain. I remember how a jagged scar ran across his snout. His snout was filled with teeth worn down from years of fighting and killing, but these were the same teeth that gave me adoring smiles and seemed to lighten my whole world. I remember his tail would drag behind him and how his every breath would be labored. I remember how his scales were the color of rust, as if his body itself had become rusty with age like a piece of metal.
What I remember most of all though, are his deep orange eyes, how they were distant as if they were staring at something that I could not see. What I didn't know was that he was looking into other worlds, recollections of the past and speculations about the future. When I looked up into those eyes when I was very young, I always thought they were as wide as the sun, the color of the sky during dusk. As he grew older and older, his eyes would dull a little more, but he never lost that sparkle in his eye he got every time he saw me. His body was old and withering away like a dying flower, but his soul would never grow old. Even when he moved on and left this world, I could feel his soul living in me. It would never die, that is something I always knew deep down.
I have many memories of my grandfather whom I admired and loved so dearly, and almost every single one of them I can still remember fairly clearly. There is one though, that never seemed to get fuzzy or hazy as time passed on. All the other memories did collect a little dust over the years, I must admit, but not this one. I always will remember the day when my grandfather took me to the willow tree.
When we went there, I was around the age of four, still small and full of innocence and a curiosity that could not be quenched. My mother and father had taken me to the southern region of the Sky Kingdom, like they did every six months, so that I could visit my grandfather. They never stayed with us while we were there though. They'd always say they had things to do and places to be, boring "adult stuff" like looking after our small little home up in the northern region of the kingdom or go do their jobs. So it was always just me and my grandfather, and we enjoyed the peacefulness down there together. He would go on walks me by day, and he'd tell me stories while snuggling up near a roaring fire at night. My bond with him grew very quickly, nurtured and fed by the time we shared together and the kindness he showered me with.
While I was staying with him back then and we were looking for something to pass the time with, my grandfather offered to take me to the willow tree. He explained to my young mind that the willow tree was a special place, a place of significance where love blossomed and tragedy unfolded, where adventures took place and crimes were committed. He told me the willow tree was connected with a grand story about how the willow tree formed. He said that the story couldn't be told without visiting the tree, and the tree couldn't be visited without telling its tale. This caused my child-like inquisitiveness to run wild as I chirped with excitement, "Take me to the willow tree!"
So there we went. We followed the trickling stream with the sun warming our flame-colored hides, riding wind currents like waves above chains of mountains that were like ripples and folds and creases in the picturesque landscape. White, fluffy clouds that looked like large clumps of cotton dotted the sky above us. The azure sky was giant and seemed endless, the only thing filling its vast emptiness being the wind that was flowing under our large wings. Because my grandfather was old and his wings didn't work like they used to, he relied on the wind to propel his old bones forward. Eventually, we neared the end of the stream that had led us to a valley where the grass grew tall and lush, and I spotted a willow tree with its branches drooping at its sides like long, limp arms that swayed in the breeze. "Is that it?" I inquired.
My grandfather nodded at me, and then he swooped down towards the lush plant life. Even though now he had to be careful when descending because of how fragile he was, I could tell from the way he moved that he was once a dragon who was full of power and grace when he was young, able to fly in complicated ways with ease. After all, he was a SkyWing, and SkyWings were undeniably the best fliers among all the creatures in Pyrrhia. Now though, he was but a shadow of what he once was, and age was slowly causing his once strong and healthy body to slowly deteriorate. I flew down after him, and we both landed gently on the soft green grass, which aided in cushioning our landing.
My grandfather slowly walked towards the tree, and he struggled to move his stiff limbs with every step he took. Though the distance from where we landed to the tree was hardly anything to me, for someone as frangible and weak as him, it was nowhere near as easy. Noticing how much he was struggling to keep going, I quickly rushed to his side. I wrapped my wing around him, which was puny compared to his, but I felt obliged to offer him some kind of support. With my help, he was able to make himself go more quickly, but I still felt as though a turtle would be able to go more quickly than he was. I could not stay frustrated with him for long though, for when I looked into those wide orange eyes so full of love, I knew he was trying his hardest, and I knew he was trying his hardest because of me.
Eventually we reached the tree after going at an agonizingly slow pace to me, and I was grateful the branches surrounding us, offering the two of us plenty of privacy and protection from the howling wind. I sat down, leaning against the strong and sturdy trunk of the tree, tracing the twists and turns and lines in the bark with my talon. It was like we had our own little world to ourselves. We were sitting there, the tree shielding us from the world and the world from us, and we were in our own little bubble. My grandfather shakily took a seat next to me, and he swept a trembling arm around my shoulders. I noticed how it seemed that everyday tasks such as walking were becoming much more challenging over the years for him, and I was filled with lots of concern.
It seemed as if he could sense my concern, so he gave me one of his smiles that radiated calm and joy and peace like the sun radiated warm light while asking me softly, "Would you like me to tell the story of the willow tree now?"
I nodded, getting comfortable, because I knew I'd be sitting there for a little while. My grandfather would always tell very lengthy stories rich in action, adventure, love, tragedy, and all sorts of other things that added spice to the story and managed to keep an easily distracted dragonet like me interested and desperate to know what happened next. The soft grass lightly brushed against fiery scales as I closed my eyes, which I always did when he told me a story, so that way I could visualize it better and have fewer distractions. My grandfather knew I was listening intently and ready for him to begin speaking.
He cleared his throat, and began to speak in his quivering old voice, "Down here, in these southern mountains, dwelled a young SkyWing dragoness with scales the color of garnets and eyes the color of gold. She was lean and strong and as beautiful as sparkling treasure, and she was young and bold and tenacious as well. She lived in a cozy little home as an only dragonet with her parents just off the edge of a quaint little SkyWing village. She lived a normal life and went to school happily with all the other SkyWing dragonets, but she had a secret.
This young dragoness, whose name happened to be Valor, was an animus. Magic flowed through her veins. When she was very little and just starting to experiment with the dangerous magic locked up inside her, she'd put on displays of her magic for all of her other dragonet friends to see. They'd be in awe of her as she made enchanted everyday objects like rocks and sticks to perform all sorts of tricks. She thought her friends stayed by her side because they cared about her, but what she didn't know that they were simply friends with her because she was an animus.
Eventually, when her parents caught her performing a magic trick for her friends in this very valley, they were horrified and furious with her. Unlike their daughter, they understood the dangers of animus magic. They knew how if she used it, it would eventually cause her soul to rot away. They knew that she could cause her own sanity to snap like a twig if she didn't fully understand the limits of her magic. They knew that if bad dragons found out about all the power she possessed when she was still young and easy to manipulate, they'd try to use her. They worried for Valor's safety. So, they made her friends leave and took her home to explain to her the dangers of being an animus.
So, they told her about the dangers of being what she was. They told her that every time she had performed a small trick for some of her friends, part of her soul got eaten away by her animus powers. They told her how that if she did something too big with her powers or if they used them too often, she would snap completely and go insane. Terrified that she had already lost lots of her soul and was going insane, tears started to streak her mortified face. Her parents tried to reassure her by explaining her that she hadn't used her powers nearly enough for her to start going insane, but that she had to stop using them. And she did.
When she no longer performed her tricks and no longer was able to capture her audience's attention, those she had thought of as loyal friends and companions abandoned her as if she had never existed in the first place. She was left alone, and she realized her parents were right. People would use her simply because she had magic, something she couldn't control. Suddenly she was all alone, missing all of her friends. The dragons who had once made her eyes shine with joy were now making her eyes shine with tears. She thought no one would be willing to be her friend again after she stopped using her powers, but there was one dragon who stood by her side when others had left her.
He was a young dragonet, about her age, who was the more quiet one in her former group of friends but always seemed to have the most meaningful conversations with her. Eventually she became closer friends with this young male dragonet, and he helped her realize that her other friends weren't so great in the first place. He helped her move on from the loss of her other friends, and unlike them, he appreciated her for who she truly was. They spent more and more time together, and she ended up no longer missing her older friends. He was better than all of them combined, in her eyes.
As I mentioned before, Valor was a courageous and bold young dragoness who never let anything stand in her way or let her fears get the better of her. Even when she lost her friends, she managed to stay brave and determined. It almost seemed like she could knock down her fears as easily as one could knock down a house of cards, except for one fear. This fear budded when her parents told her about the dangers of her powers. Over time that fear grew into a fierce monster that weighed her down like no fear had ever weighed her down before. It was the fear of herself.
For a while, Valor was able to keep her fear hidden from her close friend, but secrets cannot stay hidden forever. During the day, she was usually able to seem strong and powerful and unshaken by anything, but once night cloaked the land and she went to sleep, she got vivid and terrifying nightmares that caused her fear of herself to grow. These nightmares rattled her to her core. She'd go on flights to this valley to calm herself down after she got particularly horrifying nightmares, but eventually, bottling in all her stress once day came worsened her mood, and her friend started to notice.
He'd ask her what was wrong, but she would never say. She always felt like she had to be strong in front of him, especially when other dragons were around. No matter how hard he tried to relax, he'd always be worrying about her and what was bothering her and how he could help, if he wasn't even sure what was wrong himself. During the night, he'd sometimes go to the valley to look at the glimmering stars and the bright three moons in the inky black sky. While he was there, he'd wonder what was upsetting Valor.
Since they both liked to wander around this very valley at night, it was not long before their paths crossed here under the silver kiss of the three moons' glow. Valor was trembling and sobbing after a terrifying nightmare where she watched herself morph into a grotesque monster and slaughter her own parents. Her friend was staring up at the stars, his body down on earth but his mind drifting up towards the stars. He wondered about all sorts of things, but his mind kept on going back to Valor. His train of thought was broken when he saw her orange frame block out the stars for a moment before descending nearby. He sat up quickly and ran over to her, seeing the tears cascading from her wide eyes, full of fear and misery.
It was then that he was finally able to get answers from the dragoness he cared about so dearly. He found out about her nightmares, about how they affected her, and about how she was afraid of herself. He felt so awful for her, he did everything he could in his power to comfort her. He would help Valor get past her fears. He would be there for her when she needed someone to turn to. He went through it all for her, and every night, under the twinkling light of the stars, they'd head to this valley and talk about their feelings to each other so they could help one another. Over this period of time, they started to become more than friends. Often during their conversations, Valor would talk about the struggles of being an animus when she thought no one was listening. She had no idea though, that someone had overheard her, and this dragon was out to get her.
This dragon's name was Accipiter, and he was a guard who had a thirst for power and wealth. He saw young Valor as a tool to get what he needed to attempt to quench his thirst for these things. He didn't see her as a dragoness with feelings and a heart. He just wanted to use her to get rich and powerful. He was a greedy dragon, but the truth was, his family wasn't well off, which is why he thirsted for things like power and money. He thought having Valor act as his slave would allow him to become affluent, so he'd no longer need to worry about making sure his children were fed.
He continued to spy on the two of them every night, when the cloak of darkness hid him well so he could easily stay out of view. He gathered enough information to discover that they went there almost every night, so he decided that tomorrow night he'd gather his fellow guards, and they'd ambush Valor and her sweetheart. They planned on first killing Valor's companion so grief would wash over her like a wave, and then they'd swoop down and kidnap her so that she would be in their clutches.
The night of the ambush, both Valor and her companion were oblivious to what was about to happen. They had no idea that they were in extreme peril. They talked and they talked as usual, not noticing the draconic silhouettes overlooking the valley they were in. They thought they had no reason to be afraid in the valley. They were very, very wrong. It was when Valor and he were at their most relaxed and vulnerable state that Accipiter and his comrades decided to pounce.
They swooped into the valley like a raptor swooping onto its prey, and plumes of fire were released from their jaws right at her companion. Valor let out a roar of alarm, and seeing the searing blast of heat shooting towards the dragon she loved so much, she acted impulsively without thinking. She used her animus powers to create a protective shield of magic around him. He glowed violet, illuminating everything around him like a shining star, and the unusualness of it caused Accipiter's comrades to freeze in place as if they had been blasted with IceWing breath. The enchantment was successful, and the flames just bounced off Valor's companion. The enchantment was wearing off though, sine she hadn't intended for it to be permanent.
Many of the guards scattered and flew off, so frightened by the power of Valor that they didn't think they'd be able to live through the fight if they stayed. Magic was wild and untamed, and they were afraid of what they couldn't control or defend themselves from. They forgot completely that animus magic had a limit. The primordial fight-or-flight response overtook them and they were gone. Only Accipiter and some of his most courageous soldiers were left standing before Valor and her companion. The purple aura around Valor's sweetheart flicked for a moment and then vanished. Accipiter and his remaining allies attacked once more, this time with claw and tooth instead of fire.
Valor leaped into the fray, willing to put her life on the line for the dragon what made live worth living for her. She let out a ferocious, feral snarl, a beast released from inside her whose only goal was to protect her companion. And protect him she did. Fueled by passion and rage, she drew the other SkyWings' blood very quickly. Valor was fighting very skillfully, but she was outnumbered. Soon the number of wounds torn in her hide increased, and the loss of blood drained her strength. She wasn't the only one growing weaker during the fight though. It was evident that her assailants were struggling to keep going as well. Accipiter knew that Valor would fight to the death rather than be taken, so he and his comrades swiftly retreated before more of their blood watered the grass.
Panting, bleeding, and badly wounded, Valor laid on the grass, the pain causing her mind to become hazy. Her sweetheart leaned over to her, picked her up, and flew back to her parents so that she could get the help she needed to recover. Although Valor had received physical wounds, her companion had received emotional. He knew that Valor might die, and he'd have to watch her die knowing she died to protect him. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her, so he tried not to think about it. It didn't work.
When she got home, things seemed to become well again. When Valor was brought back to her parents, they found out none of her wounds were fatal, and being young and fit and healthy, she recovered quickly. She and her companion continued to spend time with each other, and they grew closer. Things had changed though. Valor was aware of how much danger she was putting the dragon she loved in. She knew he would never leave her. She had to figure out a way to keep him safe while still being together with him.
She had a solution to the problem. She didn't like the solution, but she could see no other way. Despite the fact she didn't want to do what she was planning on doing one bit, she knew it had to be done if she wanted to live happily with her sweetheart without the threat of her love dying constantly looming over her like a storm cloud.
She ran off to tell her companion her plan. He protested and protested, saying how he didn't care if he was in danger if he got to be by Valor's side. He didn't want her to actually do her plan. He loved her so much that he was willing to put her needs over his. He was practically begging her not to go on with her plan, but Valor was determined and stubborn. She would not back down, not even if the dragon she loved most in all of Pyrrhia desperately tried to convince her she should. This was in his best interest, she believed.
That day, she flew off to the valley, her deep red scales shimmering in the sunlight. Her companion was flying right behind her, following her and still begging her not to perform her plan, even when he knew there was no use trying to persuade someone like Valor when she was out to protect someone she loved. She landed in the valley, ready to begin her plan, her sweetheart practically clinging to her to try and hold her back and stop what she was doing, but it was to no avail. She closed her eyes, gathered up all of her strength within, and put an enchantment on the valley that would protect the two of them from harm whenever they were inside of it. Her eyes shone with love, love for the SkyWing standing beside her. He was the reason she was here using her powers even if she could go insane. He was the reason she persevered every day. She completed the enchantment as her companion watched on in horror.
He told her that she shouldn't have used her powers to do such a thing, but she would ignore his scolding and tell him that she'd rather go mad than risk the safety of the one she loved so dearly. Her companion knew there was nothing left he could do now that the enchantment had been placed, so he went along with her plan. He flew to his home to back up his belongings, and she did the same. They then both gave their goodbyes to their parents and ran off together to live in the valley. They decided to settle down in a large, sturdy cave with a good amount of room, and once they set up their belongings in it, the cave that was once dark and grey became warm and cozy. They lived there until they were no longer adolescents, but mature adults who had grown past their teenage years. They lived happily and they ended up having an egg.
But while they were busy living the lives of their dreams, neither of them were aware of what was happening to Valor's sanity. No one was aware of the toll enchanting the valley to protect the two of them would take. No one was aware that the damage that had been done wouldn't emerge until much later. No one was aware that it wasn't a matter of if Valor would be pushed to the brink of madness, but when. Their ignorance allowed them to live blissfully for many years, but the two of them were about to be thrust back into the world they had attempted to hide from in their valley, a world full of harshness and cruelty.
It was a few weeks after the egg had been laid when Valor first noticed it. The feeling of being cold on the insides, like her innards were frozen. It was a strange feeling that would have made her afraid, very afraid, but her emotions also felt a little colder, as if a frost had formed over them. It was like the feeling Valor got when she used her powers, except for much longer and more powerful. They got progressively worse over the days, and at first neither Valor or her mate realized what we going on. But they would realize soon.
Eventually, as her emotions grew number and her heart grew colder as the grip of insanity started to slowly strangle the sane and the calm out of her, she then knew. She was going insane. She knew she was going to snap. The revelation hit her like a boulder had just crushed her, and the thought haunted her. She knew it was coming. She knew it was coming, and knowing it was coming, it took all of her effort not to go completely hysterical. She got more vivid nightmares as her symptoms got worse, and sometimes she'd even experience hallucinations when awake. She constantly felt like breaking down and sobbing, but she tried to stay strong for her mate so they could be content together for their last few days where their love wouldn't be torn apart by something they couldn't control. Valor knew that once she went mad, she couldn't trust herself to be around anyone anymore. She'd be a burden and a threat to the family she had put so much effort into setting up. She trusted her companion to look after her unborn dragonet well. She was simply upset that she would never get to meet her child.
She knew what she had to do. That night, she left her cozy little cave and stepped into the middle of the valley. She took a deep breath, taking in her world. She thought about how she'd miss the way the thousands of stars in the sky would wink at her, and the way the wind would whisper things in her ears. She knew she'd miss the way the grass tickled her ankles and the way the moons illuminated the night. She'd miss the way shadows would shift and the way the mountains towered like beautiful guardians over the land. She'd miss all the little things, like the taste of meat in her mouth and the sound of laughter. Most of all though, she'd miss the ones she learned to love and care for in this world. She thought of her parents, her mate, and her egg, and how she'd have to leave them all behind just to protect them. Tears slid down her face like miniscule diamonds. It took selflessness and courage to leave everything behind for the dragons you loved, and Valor had those qualities. She knew she could do this, not matter how hard it would be.
And that is when her mate burst out of the shadows of the cave, staring at her with perplexed eyes. Not sure what she was doing out here so late at night, he asked her what she is doing, going on about how she should come back to the cave and get some rest. The mere sight of him brought more tears to her eyes, and she shook her head. She explained how she was going insane and how she couldn't put the dragons she loved in danger. She said she needed to do something to herself what would prevent her from being able to do harm to them, and she said that it would be too easy to hurt him and her dragonet as a strong, powerful dragon. Every word she had to force out of her throat, and after she was done explaining, she broke into a sob, her haunting wail piercing the night.
She expected her mate to protest and insist that he could not go on without his one true love, but instead, he just wrapped her in a comforting hug, his touch filling her body with warmth and the faintest spark of joy. She wanted to hold him there forever, to never let go, to never have to meet her imminent insanity. But she had to pull away. She had to do this. He said she understood why she was doing this, and he wasn't going to stop her. He gave her his farewells, trying to express in words how much his heart soared whenever he was around her but was unable to. Valor tried to express the same feeling, but to no avail. She gave her mate a gentle kiss before leaving everything she knew behind.
She started to use her animus powers to do strange things to her body. As she strained to complete her enchantment, her body slowly shifted from a dragon into something entirely different. Roots sank into the ground where her talons once were, and eventually it became evident what she was turning herself into. As she tried to ignore the feeling of her sanity seeping away, she managed to complete her enchantment.
She was no longer a dragon, and she could no longer think or experience the world in the way of a dragon. Her thoughts were slow and tranquil and not sharp and quick like they used to be. She didn't feel emotions the way a dragon could, and she could no longer see or smell of hear or taste. She could only feel, and it was a strange new way of taking information in. Her mind felt as though it was trying to push through water, feeling slow and hazy. She no longer knew what it was like to be a dragon, what it was like to love, to fear, to be happy, to be sad, to be angry. She lost that all along with her former body. She could sense her magic flowing through her roots still, but she no longer had the desire or will or reason to use it. She had changed. She was not what she once was. She was no longer a dragon, but a willow tree, trapped in a form where she could not harm others. She lived in what could only be compared to a never-ending doze. She was not aware of the fact that her former mate was sobbing before her. Her mate knew she wasn't aware of him, and that was perhaps the most painful part of all. It was too late to change the past though. That was just the way things would have to stay. And that is how the willow tree you're resting against came to be."
At the time, I personally thought the story should've have a more positive ending, but I still enjoyed hearing it. I complimented, "That was a great fairy tale."
My grandfather gave me a small, sad smile, as if it was foolish of me to believe it was a fairy tale, and replied, "It isn't a fairy tale."
Back then, I was confused as to what he meant by that, but I know now. Valor was never just a made-up character with an interesting personality that made for a good story. She was real, and she was my grandmother. Her mate described in the story was my grandfather himself. Because my grandfather told me that story so long ago, I now feel closer to both of them, especially my grandmother, even if I never had the opportunity to meet her. I never did need to meet her, because her spirit lives on in the story that my grandfather told, and she lives in my heart as well. One day, when I have my own dragonets, I will continue my grandparents' tale so that they have a wonderful legacy. They do not deserve to be forgotten. They were my grandparents, and I miss them. I don't think I'll ever stop missing them. There are days when I wish I was still young and innocent and my grandfather was at my side, so I could say to him, "Take me to the willow tree."
Category:Fanfictions (Completed)
Category:Fanfictions
Category:Fanfictions (Canon)