#midrin

The lime green Mirror dragon entered the chosen clearing, and raised her head and crest to scan the surroundings. It took a surprisingly long time to spot the matriarch. For an almost impossibly large creature, the Guardian had a handy knack for blending in with the surrounding jungle. Yet Midrin eventually managed to spot the silhouette of her leader and protector against the treeline, and stepped forward to bow respectfully.

“Matriarch…” muttered Midrin, who then raised her head sharply to look her leader in the eyes, her voice getting louder as she began to plea, “My mother, she- I- I cut all ties to her. My loyalty lies to you alone. Whatever she said and did, she has no lasting influence over me. I-“

All of a sudden, the Guardian dragon, who until now had remained entirely still and silent, took a step forward, and lowered her massive head so that she could look the Mirror in the eyes. “Granddaughter, it is okay. I know.”

Midrin’s crest raised almost vertically in shock. The matriarch almost never acknowledged her biological ties to other dragons in the clan. Everyone was family to her, she would say, and she didn’t want any dragon to feel they were more or less important for being related to her or not. That she was doing so now meant she was trying very hard to connect with the Mirror.

“I want to offer you something,” continued the Guardian.

Midrin immediately bristled, and cut in before she could stop herself, proudly raising her head. “I don’t need any special favours!” The thought of the great matriarch pitying her was enough to make her grind her teeth. She lashed her tail across the floor, but almost as quickly as her anger had appeared, it withered away as she remembered who she was talking to. Swallowing thickly, Midrin turned her gaze away from Madrigal and stared at the floor. “Forgive me.”

In response, the Guardian snorted, blowing a gust of hot air across her granddaughter’s face. She closed her eyes for a second, before staring hard down at Midrin, and continuing.

“I know that you don’t. You are an incredibly capable young dragon who has dealt with this… crisis admirably. What your mother, my daughter, did, has opened my eyes to the fact that as our clan continues to grow, my eyes and ears cannot be everywhere at once. I think that I should no longer leave the clan on its own. But if I am to stay here and watch for any internal threats, then I will need a dragon- or team of dragons- to continue to protect our borders and scout for any external troubles.”

All four of Midrin’s eyes opened wide in slow realisation. “Are you asking me to … lead this team?” To be essentially sent away from the clan for long periods of time would be seen by many as a punishment, but to Midrin it was a godsend. She needed time to clear her head after all, and to get away from the judgemental glares of the dragons who did not trust her loyalty as much as her grandmother apparently did.