#fff131

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt Unbreakable Bonds

AO3

“No, loving him wasn’t in my plans. It was a way to escape being taking back to that horrid man. That was all. The ultimate marriage of convenience. That was to be it. We were friends, yes.” She stretches and sits up a bit straighter in her rocking chair. “Friends and I did find him attractive. That helped.” A chuckle has her great- grandchildren looking up at her with grins. She has to recall they are mere children. Raised to know some things. She, their parents and grandparents, did teach them about their bodies and sex, as they got old enough to understand. But to imagine Granny and Pappy doing such, it is probably a stretch for them.

“We had a successful wedding night.” A few hands covered faces and a few nervous giggles erupt. “That is all I will say. The next day, we took a picnic out on the top of a Monro. He asked me, was it unusual, why was between us, what our touches brought out.” Claire-Julia, her eldest great-granddaughter, sighs at this. At twelve the lass was almost at the age where boys will start to be more then annoying. Claire smiles at her. “I told him it was often something like this but it was unusual. That was the beginning.”

She stretches again. At ninety, no chair is comfortable for long. “By the time he first takes me to the stones, I am conflicted. To return to my own time or stay with him. I knew I loved him when I chose him.” All the lasses sigh and the lads eyes shine with interest. She had sat her grandchildren down, thirty odd years ago, and told them the same tale. They knew of the stones, of the time traveling their Granny did, that their grandparents or Auntie Brianna and Uncle Rodger did, with Jeremy and Mandy. Those stories are part of their inheritance. Her and Jamie’s though, it is special. A story only she tells fully.  “By the time the upraising came, we had an unbreakable bound. To leave him, it was the hardest thing I ever did.”

“Grandma was in your uterus, eh?”  Paul, her Bree’s first grandson, asks.

“She was. Pappy expected to die. The baby would be all that was left of him. I had to keep it safe.”

All nod. Those twenty years are well known. Talk of cars, planes, and the like, are whispered among the lads. The lasses talk of washing machines and water that flows from the taps. She looks over at them with affection. The children that, ultimately, came from her and Jamie’s love.

“I never stopped loving him. Not for one moment. When I got a chance to go back,” she sighs, even fifty years later, she can still recall the tug of motherhood vs. the tug of her love for him. “it was hard to go back. Hard to leave Bree.”

“Auntie!” Amí Collette, Fergus and Marsali’s little granddaughter, calls out.

“Yes, your Auntie. She was just my daughter then. To leave her was quite difficult. Ultimately, that unbreakable bound, pulled me back to him. Then Bree and Roger followed. I was so glad. To have my family all together but, want to know a secret?” All the children moved closer, their eyes big. “If it would have been just your Pappy and I, I would have been content. Love like ours is worth any sacrifice you have to make. Don’t settle for less. Promise Granny?”

“We promise.” Echoes back.

“I love you all. Granny needs to go lie down now.” They stand and scatter off to chores and play.  She sits a moment and watches them. As she starts to get up, he is there, offering his arm.

“Jamie, my love.” He smiles and his blue eyes, surrounded by wrinkles, light up.

“Mo grá, I heard you tell the bairns you needed rest. Come lay beside me.” It is an offer seventy four years after their wedding night, she still can’t refuse.

“To bed or to sleep?” She cheekily asks him. He laughs.

“To sleep, I am afraid. But we can dream about the past.”

This is the 28th time joining @flashfictionfridayofficial​! Thank you for the beautiful theme! This story is told by a water dragon. In Eastern Asia, dragons are believed to be guardians of weather and water. Hope you enjoy!

Word Count: 957

T/W: non

Jin (he/him): a human befriended with the dragon

I can still recall when I met Jin - this tiny, strange creature - for the first time. It was definitely a long, long time ago.  I'm sure of it since the trees surrounding my dwelling, like ancient sages, are actually the grandchildren of the trees which used to stand here. 

I occasionally indulge in reminiscence, especially when the sunshine dapples over my waterfall after the gentle rain washed the dirt away from the world. 

Jin came to my waterfall well hidden in the deep forest. Not to pay a tribute or a friendly visit, but to kill me. 

The villagers living at the fringe of the forest had been suffering from a flood, and they thought that it was caused by an 'evil dragon' dominating the forest. Jin was chosen to kill it - me - as he was the best swordsman in the village.

It was not my fault, though. I was a mere water-snake back then. Vicious floods, violent storms, harsh famine, and gracious rain - those things were decided by the higher-ups. I had to wait another 40 years to be a 'jiao,' a half-dragon, then another millennium to be a fully-grown dragon. I thought I was careful enough not to show my enormous silver-white body to anyone. However, someone saw my silhouette, deemed it belonged to a monster. 

I remember how Jin dived into my world with a glittering sword in his mouth. The sharp blade cut through the water, leaving some babbles behind. This reckless lad showed no hesitation or fear. My pure blue world was shaken to its core. I had a gut feeling that I must face this mortal being. Slithering from my hiding, I talked to his mind directly.

'Young mortal soul, drop your sword. Otherwise, the water will swallow you.'

Being caught off-guard, he gobbled water unintentionally. However, a crystal bubble I created from my breath encapsulated him before he floated upward.  

'Ugh, what is this!?' 

The sword fell off his mouth. He looked at me in surprise.

'Oh, so you are the evil lord of the forest? You are quite different from what I expected!'

Then, he added in a gentle voice.

'You don't look particularly harmful. You look like you're made of the finest silk.'

My deep sigh created ripples.

'If you seek an 'evil dragon' which brings hardship, you will never find one here. I am a mere water-snake, yet-to-be-a-dragon.' 

Jin kept silent till the echo of my sonorous voice faded away in the crystal world. Finally, he asked.

'So you are not a dragon yet. That means you have no power over the weather or rivers?' 

'Indeed.'

'How long have you been? And how long do you have to wait?'

This time, his eyes were shining with curiosity. A very strange creature. 

'460 years I spent here. Another four decades to be a half-dragon. Then another thousand years to be a dragon. Now, go back to where you belong, you frail being.' 

A sane person would leave as quickly as they could. But Jin was not, unfortunately.

'Hundreds and thousands of years? I can never take that! You must be quite lonely.' 

'We, immortals, live in a different world. A hundred-year passes in a blink of an eye.'

Jin still tried to say something, but I broke the bubble. He struggled in the middle of the thousands of scattering sparkles as he was pushed to the surface of the water. That would be the last sight of him, I thought. 

However, he came back the next day. And the day after, even though I didn't show myself again. He sang old folk songs (and it was terrible), read some poems, played pipa. He told me stories of his village, his life, his plans. What was the meaning of this? Mortal beings have a short time to live. Why was he wasting time? However, I found myself waiting for his voice floating over the cold surface of the water like a pleasant breeze. However, in his frivolous, innocent expressions, I could see a dark void, resembling bottomless water. Maybe that was what mortals call 'loneliness.'  Now and then, I started replying to him, just as the trees rustled in the wind. 

Jin's hair turned into silver-grey. His youth withered away. On the other hand, I was ready to be a half-dragon. My scales became shinier and thicker, my mane longer. 

'It's such a pity that I cannot see you turning into a half-dragon.'

His voice was shaky and weak. 

'I was happy being here. Even though I'm mortal and you are not. But I still do.' 

He coughed harshly, forcing him to stop talking. Yet, I could see what he would say next.

'Don't be silly, Jin. Be wise. You are asking me to give you the sacred water of this waterfall. I can see that.'

He smiled like a child. I could not find the dark void in him any more - his mind was like a clear, tranquil lake. 

'Yes, then I can re-incarnate and see you again, dear-yet-to-be-a-dragon.'

'But that means you'll be bound to this waterfall - and me - forever. And there is no guarantee you retain the memories of previous life or ability to see me.'

'For evermore, why not? And it doesn't matter. I'll find you.' 

A very strange creature. 

For the next hundreds of years, Jin visited me in various shapes. Sometimes, he appeared as a girl lost in the forest. Sometimes, he brought his children. He had memories occasionally, calling me from above. But most of the time, Jin lost memories. 

Yet, Jin would and will never fail to find me. 

And sing his funny songs again. 

Or maybe it is me who sings to his mind, calling out his name from afar.

I wasn't really inspired to participate in the other challenges, but now I'm here with a text... That I don't know fits the theme. Hope so.

Word count: 1047 (yep,I went a little over the word limit.)

@flashfictionfridayofficial

As I walked, or rather, tried to walk through the school corridors because of the steps of the giant in front of me, I thought I was going straight to the underworld. Am I exaggerating? Not when you have the unimaginable idea of befriending a creature at least ten times your size. Besides, that giant, Dante, was the school bully, feared by everyone, who even intended to devour me days ago. Where was I thinking when I thought about it?

I kept trying to go after him while all I could think was that this was a bad idea. We managed to get where we wanted, which was a deserted place full of grass and with a tree, which was even my hiding place the first time we “talked”. He came forward and sat in the same place on that first occasion. I was hesitant to set foot in that spot, but the fear that he would notice I wasn't following him spoke louder. That's why I approached him looking at the corners and never meeting his eyes.

“What is wrong?” He questioned me.

“Nothing.” I tried to hide it, but I couldn't keep up the lie.

“It's just that I'm remembering the first time I was here. I was very scared.” I continued placing my hands over my body.

Dante avoided looking at me after I mentioned it and looked... Upset? Had he really regretted what he had done to me?

“I'm really sorry about that day. From your point of view it must have been really scary.” I nodded in agreement. "I hope you can forgive me someday Sierra, because I don't know if I can forgive myself."

What he said made me let my guard down. Was that really true? Was I not dreaming? I really hope Dante is being sincere.

“Do not worry about it. I really forgave you. We don't need to talk about it anymore. I'm even sorry for reminding you of this situation.” I replied

“Okay. It's not like I can erase what I've done.” He said, "Changing the subject.... Why did you want to become my friend? Is it a pity by chance?”

Still not able to meet his eyes, I hesitated to answer. How would I say what I was thinking without sounding like a fool? If I say that, he's definitely going to laugh in my face.

“You do not want to answer?” Dante asked

“It's just…. When I saw you cry after you tried to apologize to that monster, right here, you looked so…vulnerable.

Congratulations Sierra, now that you've told a giant he was vulnerable things are going to get better. Nice way to put words. What an idiot I am...

He looked right at me when I made this remark looking confused. Afraid of what he might do, I rushed to try to fix things.

“You know…” I said shakily, “I realized you were being honest at that moment…. As if the fact that you don't have friends here really upset you. It's like you feel as alone as I feel here”.

“I'm alone here.” Dante said sadly “I've been alone since I entered this school. It's stifling for me to be feared, but it seems like that will never change. That's why I terrified the whole school, because they could conclude they were right all along. But... I don't like doing that either.”

That was my turn to be confused. What do you mean he didn't like terrorizing the school? He looked like he was having fun when he did all those things. He said he was having fun with it when I first met him. It was all a lie? Or worse.... Was he lying while we were talking at that moment?

“Seems confusing to me too, Sierra, believe me.” He spoke as if reading my thoughts. “I don't like to treat someone badly, but the moment we met it seemed like I... I was used to acting like that and that was also how I managed to mistreat other monsters, but the first ones I acted like that I myself I felt like garbage.”

“I'm tired of it.” He continued “That's why I decided to accept your agreement not to mistreat the other monsters anymore. I want to break free from that side of me, but at the same time I feel that even if I am the way I really am, things aren't going to change. And they never will.”

I was shocked and didn't quite know what to say and I was also feeling sad to hear it.

“I don't know what it's like to be feared, but I know what it's like not to feel welcome in one place. You're not talking to a monster who has a hundred friends, quite the opposite, but I'm here for you. You will no longer be alone here if it's up to me.” That time I managed to look into his eyes, which were even a little wet.

“I really hope we form a real friendship. A connection, a bond that can be strong enough for us to be able to forget about our pains.” I continued to look into his eyes and only later I did realize how corny I was being when I said that. Of course he's going to make fun of me after that.

"What am I talking about?" Please forget it what I…” I tried to argue, but even as I tried to fix things once more, he covered my mouth with one of his gigantic fingers.

“You don't need to mince words to talk to me. I won't hurt you and I don't even want to upset you in any way. I'm not going to make fun of you now and... I also want true friendship with you.”

“Thanks for what you're doing for me.” he said smiling and lightly took his finger off my mouth. I felt a redness on my cheeks and I smiled too.