Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, WORK, CYRUS, STUDY!
For 3 years this is all my life had devolved into, except that the time I spent with Cyrus only grew as he got older, and being around him felt as if someone was choking me.
Staring out the window of the corridor, I see the kids my age pying outside, “How I wish I could join. When was the st time we even pyed outside.”
Running up to me from down the corridor Cyrus hugs my leg and says, “Mo-o-o-other.”
Pig him up, I say, “Cyrus don’t you remember what I told you about calliher? Bad boy.”
Freaking out in my arms Cyrus says, “S-S-S-Sorry,” then starts to cry.
Panicked, I say, “Please don’t cry Cyrus, I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”
“PARIBANOU!!!” I hear someone shout.
Turning around I look outside the window ahat the kids have been pying, and are shouting at me, “We haven’t seen you in a couple of days.”
“e py with us!”
“Or are you too busy now to do so?”
“What are you idiots talking about, it has been three years!?” I say fused.
Turning their heads to each other they mutter, “Really I thought it had only been a few days.”
“Time really does move quickly.”
Fag me again, they say, “So what! Let’s still py, let’s see who reach the o floor the fastest.”
“I won’t lose to you this time Pari”
“e on!”
“Let’s have some fun.”
Seeing everyone smiling and askio e with them, makes me happy, but then Cyrus says in my arms, “P-P-Please don’t go!”
“Cyrus.”
“I don’t want to be away from you, stay with me.”
Seeing how sad Cyrus is, I say, “I won’t go anywhere, I will always be there for you.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
But looking at the other kids an idea pops into my mind. Heading outside, I ask all of them, “Sorry I ’t e out to py but could you guys py with Cyrus instead.”
Grabbing me closer, Cyrus says, “ I a-a-a-am sca-a-a-ared Pari.”
“Don’t worry Cyrus, you’re my strong little man, and you should have some friends to spend time with. Even if it is just for a little bit, and look they want to py with you.”
The kids, grouping around Cyrus say, “So this is Pari little brother.”
“The first son of the Damavand family.”
“I tell he is going to be a strong warrior.”
“He is adorable.”
“Let's go py together Cyrus.”
Holding him up to my face, I say, “See Cyrus, these people want to spend time with you so why don’t you repay that by spending time with them.”
“O-O-O-Okay.”
Dropping Cyrus on his own two feet, I say, “Don’t do anything dangerous with him or I will execute all of you.”
Pig him up they say, “We won’t!” As they run off.
Walking back to the study, I remember something my mother told me. Dragons have a very skewed sense of time due to their life spans, days, months, years, and eveuries go by in a couple of minutes by their perception.
But over these st three years, I have felt all of it, not a single day have I slept and not a single day have I fotten.
Entering the study, I sit down behind my desk ao work. Even though I will never say it, I am already aware of the answer and it is because I t each day waiting for this life to end.
-Break-
The sky is a bright clear blue, no wind, no rain, just a few sleepy clouds, the sun shines with a beautiful light as if it is trying to catch my attention, and through this wonderful se, I fly as a dragon.
I have finally reached it my dragon form, I fly anywhere I want, anytime I want. I am free of all weights, all burdens as I fly, no one stop me, no one catch me. I am free!
“Sister save me!” I hear a voice scream.
Turning around, I see Cyrus being ripped to shreds by monsters, demons. Seeing this I try to fly back but I stop myself; if I go now those demons will never catch me, but if I help him they will be able to imprison me, I will lose my freedom.
Uo decided I just float there in mid-air, but then as they tio rip Cyrus apart, I fly-.
Jumping up I realize that I am in my study. After looking around for a moment I say, “That was just a dream. But now I guess sleeping for the first time in 4 years is rather nice.”
Looking through the window I see it is quite dark, walking out of the room I ask one of the servants, “Has Cyrus returned?”
“No Shah, he hasn’t for about two days.”
“Ok theurn to your post,” I say jumping out of a window.
When I nd, I immediately run around the city and look for Cyrus. Seeing one of the kids who pys with him I run over and ask, “Where is Cyrus.”
“Oh, didn’t he e back with us!”
“He hasn’t returned home today.”
“Wait, I swear he was with us wheurned, or am I thinking of the st time we pyed? Thinking about it again, I am not sure he walked back with us. He might still be in the area we pyed at.”
Frightened I say, “Where do you guys usually py?”
“We head down that path over there, then take a right to an open area, but today we decided to take a left to an almost identical area. Cyrus should be able to get home by himse-.”
Before he finish, I run off to find Cyrus, following the instrus I was given I end up in the rge open area, where I see Cyrus sitting down.
Seeing me, he says, “Pari!”
Cyrus is just joyfully sitting down, so without saying anything I pick him up and start walking home.
As we reach closer to home I ask, “Cyrus why did you just sit there, the road back to the city was almost identical.”
“I knew you would e for me. So instead of choosing I just wa-a-a-aited.”
With a quiet smile, I say, “Sorry for not ing sooner I fell asleep for two days.”
“It is fine.”
-Break-
“Cyrus, what do you do when you see someone weaker than you?”
“I help them!”
“Good, now it is time for the rule.”
“Pari, why d-d-d-d-d-do I hav-v-v-v-v-ve to do this?”
“Because I o teach you how to survive when I am not around, we ’t have anything like yesterday happening.”
With tears in his eyes, Cyrus says, “But won’t y-y-y-you alway-y-y-y-ys e fo-o-o-or me?”
Calming him down I say, “Of course I will, but when I am not physically present, I want you to at least carry my words ok, and if you ’t find an answer I will e get you.”
“Ok.”
And thus, life went on. I made sure to embed my principles into Cyrus and tinued my work and study. I was able to get Cyrus to make some decisions by himself by following the words I left him.
I also began to finally get a grasp on my father's duties even though I was still below him in terms of efficy, I was finally able to do them all and still get sleep, and because of these two things, I felt that the dragons around us stopped looking for weakness. Life was finally looking up for me.
But it would all end on Cyrus’s tenth birthday.
-Break-
Hearing a scream I rush to the source, where I see one of the servants sitting over Cyrus’s unscious body.
“What happened!?”
“I don’t know, he was walking then fell down a sed ago.”
Toug Cyrus, I see his face feels hot and he is breathing heavily. “No, no, no. What is this?”
“Let me take a look.”
Turning around I see Arianna. “Teacher.”
Walking up to Cyrus she says, “I was here for his birthday, so I came early but I didn’t expect to see this.”
“Please help him.”
“Don’t worry, I will do the best I .”
-Break-
As I sit outside Cyrus’s room with Arianna inside, I wait impatiently. What is going on I don’t know what to do, mother, father please help me!
Opening the door, I see Arianna walk out.
“Is Cyrus, ok?”
“Cyrus, has an iion.”
“You mean those things that huma?”
“Yes.”
“But you taught me it was impossible fons to get such things?”
“Yes, even the lowliest dragon ot get them normally. But there are such expectations and Cyrus is one of them. I trust you know how much of an insult su existence is to both of ods.”
Falling to my knees, I say, “How much more will I have to gh, I ’t do this anymore.”
“PARIBANOU!”
“Yes.”
Grabbing me by the shoulders, she says, “Now is not the time to pin you have very few options in front of you and barely enough time to a them. There are no cures on the ti, so you must head to the human nations to find one.”
“But will I be able to do that?”
“It is either that or you must wipe the stain of the Damavand name by valiantly killing Cyrus.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me, isn’t Cyrus's pathetiess a stant source of worry that you have to deal with? His weakness invites people to challenge your rule, and without such baggage, I am sure a strong dragon like you would be able to live a long life.”
“I ’T DO SUCH A THING!”
“Then you have your answer, get up a's go.”
Standing up I walk into Cyrus’s room and pick him up. Weakly he says, “Sister here a-a-a-are we going.”
“You don’t o worry about it, just serve your strength, my little boy.”
Walking out of the room, I follow Arianna to the back of the house. And whe out there, she asks, “Is that everything you need?”
“Yes.”
Then pig me up she says, “Hold on tight.” Then runs full speed towards the coast.
As we run, I feel the air pressure move so fast against me that I start to get cut. “Just hold on a little longer Paribanou we are almost far enough away.
“I will, but I don’t think Cyrus hold on.”
After a little bit of time, Arianna says, “Far enough.” Then throws me into the air. Moments ter I see her scales have covered her body, and she has turned into a serpent-like dragon with rainbow wings.
Flying towards us in the sky she catches me, then soars as high into the sky as she . Breaking past the clouds I get to see the sky, riding on top of Arianna.
“This should be more fortable for you.”
“Yes, it is, thank you so much.”
As we fly, I ask, “Will I be able to turn into a dragon of your size?”
“Our size is directly proportional to our power, so I doubt someone as weak as you will bee this size, well at least anytime in the few turies.”
Disheartened I say, “Oh I see.”
“Don’t feel down, I am only sidered a mid-ranking dragon, high-ranking dragons are a lot bigger than me, not to mention the dragon's gods and their kin. But I guarahat you will one day soar above the cloud like this as well.”
Reag nd, Arianna says, “Where on the human nations.” Then moments ter her scales start to disie as her dragon body dissipates and she returns to being human mid-air.
Grabbing me, we fall until we hit the ground. As the dust clears from our nding, Arianna says, “My lower back!”
Getting out of her hands I say, “Are you ok.”
“Yes, but I o strety back more.”
Getting up, she says, “When ing back swim through the o, if Cyrus is healthy, you should be able to manage such a thing. I will cover for you until you e bao one will test one of the dragon gods' servants.”
As she walks away, I ask, “Why are you helpihought you didn’t like me?”
“I simply don’t like seeing young dragoing their lives wiped away, call it repentance if you want, but I wish you and your brother live long lives.”
“Thank you so much, I will never fet this.”
“Don’t need you thanks I just need you to hurry up, aurn for your lessons.” With that, both of us go our separate ways.
