Cassandra Appreciation Month - Dragon Lady
(Alt. Prompt for Hurt/Comfort)
It’s a memory that will stay with Cassandra forever.
She’s ten years old, small and skinny, holding hands with two of the most important people in her life. Ahead of them is the largest tent she’s ever seen, towering over the crowd that surrounds them.
“There it is, Cassandra!” her father announces. He’s on her right, as tall as the tent. His presence is, in itself, remarkable because he’s supposed to be working today. But he got time off, just for her. He’d said as much. “You ready?”
She nods, practically bouncing with excitement. Her father’s armor catches the light, and the crowd seems to part like the red sea. On her left, her grandmother is looking around, making sure the coast is clear. Grandma isn’t quite as tall as Dad, but she’s a grown-up and that carries enough weight. She’s a tough grown-up, too; her and Dad. No one will mess with them.
“Can we see the dragon first?” Cassandra asks.
“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” asks Dad, as if he doesn’t already know. As if he isn’t the one who told her about the dragon in the first place! He’d seen it himself, when he got the tickets, and he’d promised Cassandra he’d take her to see it, too.
Grandma is as reserved as usual, her greying hair tied back and her dress as neat as her father’s uniform, but Cass knows she’s as excited as she is. When Dad had told them about the dragon, she’d looked up from the book she was reading, her eyes wide and curious. “A real dragon?” she’d asked, and Dad had confirmed it. From that point on, all Cass had talked about were dragons, and her grandmother was the only grown-up who’d came close to matching her enthusiasm (her father came second).
“I still can’t believe it, Roderick,” she was saying now. “A real dragon, in Corona! How’d they capture it, do you think?”
“You didn’t ask?” this was from Cassandra. She wanted to know how they captured it. Then she could try and capture one of her own.
“I was busy; only got a glimpse of it.”
“I’m sure they’ll tell us,” said Grandma. “They’ll want to show off. It’s hard work, capturing a dragon.”
Dad smirked. “Speaking from experience, Mom?”
“Don’t be silly, Roderick.” But Grandma didn’t sound as severe as she normally would. With a conspiratorial smile at Cassandra, she continued; “I heard they set a trap; leave out some bait, find a place to hide, and stay there until the dragon is caught. If the dragon is caught. They’re smart animals-”
“Big, too,” Dad said. “And they can do some damage.”
Grandma nodded. “Which is why you have to be very careful if you want to catch one.”
“What do you do when you catch one?”
From up ahead, a trumpet sounded, and suddenly everyone was moving forward.
“That’s our cue,” said Dad.
As they approached the entrance, Cassandra was already planning what she’d do if she captured a dragon. She didn’t like the thought of keeping it locked up in a cage. It felt wrong. Dragons were supposed to soar through the skies, like they did in the pictures she’d seen at the castle. No, if she captured a dragon, it wouldn’t stay locked up for long.
Dad had said this dragon was locked up, and an idea began to form in Cass’s mind, one so huge and exciting it took all her strength to keep it inside. Maybe she could set this dragon free! Not immediately; she’d have to get it to trust her first. But once it did, and once it was out of its cage, it would be so grateful it would want to be her friend. She’d tame it and ride around on its back. Dad and Grandma could come too – surely there’d be room. Maybe they could fly to the castle and invite Queen Arianna and some of the guards (but only Cass’s favourite ones, like Stan) and they’d soar through the sky together. She’d be Cassandra the Dragon Lady, and it wouldn’t matter that she had no mother and none of the kids at school wanted to be her friend. She had friends, even if they were all grown-ups, and no one messed with you if one of those friends was a dragon! She could almost feel the wind on her face as they flew through the air.
That’s what Cass will remember when she looks back on her childhood. Not the rest of that day. Just that one, glorious moment where anything seemed possible. Where a little girl could befriend a dragon.
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
ellievsbear
andulkaphoto
theartofmadeline
areudirty
origamiaround
pixelskylines
snowghoul
