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The violent hiss of burning steel in warm water filled the air and Taeyong barely flinched. The crackle of the fire, the ringing of steel being pounded out and shaped, the angry hiss of tempering and the clang of etching were all familiar sounds to his hears, even at age 11. Taeyong slowly counted to 30 in his head before he removed the metal from the bucket of water, observing the fading hues of burning orange and glowing red as the blade in progress rapidly cooled. At this point, it was little more than a rod-shaped lump of steel, edges still completely round and the center barely flat, but it was the perfect length and the perfect blend of alloys. Taeyong grunted slightly while hefting it, the weight too much to be comfortable, but that was better at this stage__better too heavy and have enough metal to work with than the right weight before sharpening and end up with a blade too frail and light to wield, pretty but useless.
Another clang rang through the studio, followed by a sharp curse. Taeyong set the metal on the warming table, an invention of his father’s and one that directly made them one of the best-known forges in the nearby cities. He looked around for the source of the cursing and realized one of his father’s apprentices had burned himself. It was Shownu, a newer apprentice who had traveled all the way from Dwarven country to apprentice under Taeyong’s own father. Upon seeing Shownu already being attended to by an older boy, Taeyong returned to his own work.
The warming table had kept the steel soft, not fully tempered, so he didn’t need to worry about shattering the blade further down the line after a few heatings. Before Taeyong could even change the shape of the core metal he was using for his blade, a little boy dashed into the smith shop, shrieking with glee. Taeyong glanced over, annoyed and worried for the boy’s safety, before realizing it was his cousin Jisung. His great-Uncle and his family were here! Taeyong hastily put his metal and tools into storage as his older brother entertained Jisung. Taeyong raced over and scooped his little cousin up and Jisung squealed in joy. After being formally dismissed from the shop by his father Taeyong carried his cousin back to the house, listening intently to the stories from Jisung about the journey to get from Dras-Leona to Daret. Before Taeyong had even entered the house, he could hear the controlled, harsh whisper of his mother trying hard not to be heard throughout the whole village. He stepped into his house, but didn’t announce his presence. It was rare that his mother was angry, even rarer at her brother in law.
The first thing Taeyong heard was the rumble of his uncle’s voice. “The boy shows promise. And they offered him a spot, do you know how unusual that is?” His mother sighed.
“Yes. But he’s so young, only 12! And he’s never been away from home before, not even for a weekend!”
“They’ll take good care of him. I know the man who runs it, he takes good care of them,” his uncle responds. We’re they talking about….
“I don’t know ... we don’t even know if he has anything. I never had the power my sister did, he could be normal.” Taeyong felt his brows furrow in concentration. Power? Like the Riders?
“Dammit, little sister! There’s magic in his blood, let him let it out. He could be powerful one day, a great force. You would deny your son that chance? To do what, toil away in a forge never leaving the walls of this village?” His uncles voice had raised to a yell and Jisung started to whine in Taeyongs arms. He tried to soothe him but it was too late. His mother opened the door, mouth open in surprise. She wordlessly took Jisung, eyes cast down.
“How much did you hear?” She asked softly.
“Enough.” His uncle answered for him. Taeyong nodded slowly.
“Do you want to go? Be like Aunt Jiya?” His mother whispered. Taeyong paused. He knew his Aunt had been trained in magic, but it was always whispered as an aside, blamed for her early death, blamed for not saving her during childbirth. But to travel like Jisung, to see the world on dragonback? How could Taeyong refuse?
“Yes, mother. I want to at least go and try.”
His mother nodded resolutely, eyes watery. “Then you’ll leave with Uncle at the end of the week. I’ll talk to your father tonight.”
Taeyong wished he had trimmed his nails as he curled and uncurled his fingers around the pommel of his sword. His own blade, crafted of elven metals in his father’s familiar shop, is Taeyong’s most prized possession and his greatest pride. Moreso even than the wiry strength he carries in his frame or the delicately pointed ears that being around so much magic has gifted him.
Taeyong sighs, uncurling his hand again and shaking it out, checking his palm for any bruises or scrapes. It’s sore but overall unharmed, so he drops his hand and presses it to his thigh to quell his nerves. He stands in a very long line circling in and around a complex system of caves and caverns that dot the Island of Dragons, where unhatched eggs and unpaired hybrids live and train, alongside Dragon and Rider pairs.
It was Taeyong’s first Pairing Moment, a ceremony that occurs every five years to match up potential riders with dragons or dragon hybrids. There are always many more hundreds of Riders than potential dragons, despite no longer being on the verge of being lost forever eggs are still rare and hybrids that have the ability to shift are rarer still. Taeyong could spot a handful of dragons along the line of Rider potentials, either already paired dragons there to oversee or hybrids in their dragon forms. They’re all beautiful in the same way a perfectly balanced sword is, jeweled and bright but hard and deadly with a razor-sharp edge. He grinned to himself, the metaphor was good. The poetic tongue of the elves he lived with part of the year had started to rub off on him. The line lurched forward, as everyone moved as the next batch of potential Riders is collected and brought into one of the caves to test for their aptitude. Taeyong sighed deeply, alone and impatient. He had just barely made the requirements to be at the ceremony, but since the next one wouldn’t be for five years his trainer didn’t see the harm in taking the journey and trying for a match.
Johnny drummed his fingers on the stone table in front of him. He’s only tested two groups of baby Riders, seeing as he was positioned in the last stop in the ceremony’s march. He’s more than a little surprised at the number of potentials tonight, the process to being considered qualified is by no means an easy one, at least a year of training under certified Riders or trainers is required and you have to pass an aptitude test. Although Johnny supposed in recent times more people want to become Riders, as tales of the past and the Great War become less history and more fantastical stories.
A delicate cough brought Johnny’s attention from inward to the girl sitting in front of him. She looked about 18, making her older than him. She’s also clearly entirely human, ears round and normal height. Johnny extended his hand, mindful of his slightly sharp nails. He wished that he had cut or filed them, not wanting to scare anyone off. The girl smiled wearily and extended her hand.
“I’m Wendy. 18, Human.” The introduction sounded rehearsed. It probably was, Johnny realized. He’s in the last group, a young hybrid isn’t the most desirable match for a young rider in training and the Riders also understand that hybrids aren’t the most desired anyway. Despite Johnny’s ability to shift and strong heritage, his mom is a hybrid herself while his dad is full blooded dragon, he’s still part human and that makes him just a little weaker. He’s also young, only 14. He smiled apologetically at Wendy for spacing out again.
“Greetings Wendy. I’m Johnny, 14, and obviously a hybrid.” His smile turned wry and he reached out a little more, inviting her to touch him. Wendy tentatively placed her hand palm-down onto his extended hand. They both wait a few heartbeats, breaths held close to their chests in anticipation.
Nothing.
No spark or burn of the iglesia marking them as a match. Johnny exhaled slowly and retracts his hand. Wendy looked at her unmarked palm and then met Johnny’s eyes, her own a little watery.
“It’s my second Matching. I had hoped….” she took a deep breath and blinked slowly before quickly brushing away the two tears that fell. “It’s fine. I’m still young.”
Johnny nodded in sympathy. “I’m sorry it’s not me. But by the next Matching there will be a hundred more hybrids and eggs. You seem like a good trainee, I’m sure there’s a match for you.” His words feel fake to his ears, he’s said them so many times to so many people already and the number will undoubtedly only increase as the night goes on. He hoped they sound more genuine to her.
“Thank you, Johnny. I hope you find your match soon.” She smiled one last time before standing up and leaving the cave. Johnny barely had a moment to breathe before a middle-aged man settled wearily before him and the process repeated.
Taeyong is exhausted. He’s made his way through a good three-fourths of the line, caressing eggs and touching palms as he goes to see if he matched with a dragon. So far he’s had no luck, which is to be expected. His mentor had been sure to keep his expectations low, although Taeyong has a small ball of hope in his heart, hope that he’s an exceptional case and he’d match with a dragon young, he’d be able to stay on the island. He’d miss his family, his mother and father and brothers and sister, but he’d have a lifetime friend. His mentor, Heechul, an eccentric but caring man, took good care of him and the three other trainees under his care. And he made sure to get Taeyong a slot in the elven forges, a highly revered and secreted place. It had taken some time to earn the ability to actually work on blades, to prove himself worthy of learning elven secrets, but he had proven himself and now he has his trusty sword, an impressive feat to boast about when one considered his age.
Speaking of Heechul, Taeyong spotted the man swooping along the line, dragging along two of his fellow trainees. The third, his friend Taeil, is missing. Heechul descended upon Taeyong and pulls him from the line.
“Come one, you have been testing for hours already and Taeil found a match! I want you to meet his dragon, though they’re still in their egg, and congratulate Taeil.” Taeyong thinks he hears his heart break a little. Not only did he not find his match, if he had one at all, but he’d be losing his best friend. Amongst his congratulations, Taeyong would have to say goodbye because Taeil would stay on the island and train under active Riders and learn closely-guarded secrets before moving to the large island country that the Riders preside over for further training. It would be a very long time before Taeil would have the chance to return home, and yet Taeyong felt as if his eyes had gone green. Taeil had cleared the first obstacle and now he was ahead of Taeyong in their shared dream of being Riders.
Taeyong let himself be led out of line and into a cavern a way down the line. Taeil had entered in an earlier group and had, therefore, made it further, Taeyong tamped down the flare of jealousy. He’s happy for his friend. Taeil is older than him, by almost 2 years, and he’d trained longer too. Taeyong works hard but the honing of magic, or rather the honing of the patience and strength and mental focus that one needs to hone their magic, can only be garnered with time. Taeil is a good match to be a Rider and Taeyong is happy for him. A voice in the back of his mind whispers that if he repeats it enough it’ll sound less like a lie.
The rest of the evening on Vroengarg passed in a blur, but Taeyong remembers crying silently as he and Taeil clutched each other close, fingers tangling in tunics. The room they shared back in the forest would feel cool and empty without Taeil’s calming presence and mental signature. A few whispered “I’ll miss you”s were exchanged and Taeil made Taeyong promise to work hard so that next Matching he’d find his dragon and they’d be reunited. Then Taeil was being handed a pretty pale gold egg to show off. Taeyong and his fellow trainees appropriately “ooh” and “aah” even though the air is tense at the reminder that Taeil was successful and they weren’t.
Taeyong is hard-pressed to forget the combination of bitter jealousy and salty sadness as he was herded by Heechul onto the boat at the end of the night, clutching to a promise to write Taeil often and a feeling of rejection.
Johnny ended the night feeling little but relief. As the chosen trickled into their new homes on the reclaimed island of dragons and the rest of the visitors found their way back to the boats, Johnny let himself sag in exhaustion. He dropped his head down onto his arms and exhaled all his air in one big whoosh. He focused on his breathing for a few moments before he felt a warm hand in between his shoulder blades.
“Johnny? You doing okay?” A soft voice asked. Johnny grinned to himself. It was Jaehyun. He righted himself slowly before he shot a soft smile to his friend.
“Yeah, Jae, I’ll be fine. It’s just kinda exhausting, you know?” Jaehyun snorted.
“Well, better rest up well tonight because you know tomorrow will be worse with all the little newborns running around with their thoughts screaming to us all.” Johnny laughed in response, standing and cracking his back.
“Oh don’t remind me, I’ve been put on training assistant duty since I’ve been here for long enough to know how to handle the babies.” Johnny made sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind and nudged Jaehyun to get moving. They started back towards the housing caves for unpaired hybrids.
“I always forget that this wasn’t your first Matching. It feels like you haven’t been here as long as I know you have.” Jaehyun comments offhandedly, looking out at the stream of boats leaving the port in awe. Johnny glances out at them too, following his friend’s gaze. The lights of ship lanterns were pretty and certainly overwhelming in the sheer numbers they were in. Johnny could see the appeal of their beauty.
“I guess I don’t think about it much,” Johnny replied honestly, feeling a little piece of his heart shatter when he remembers why he had lived in the compound for so long. It had been almost 10 years, he was only four when he had been brought by his human uncle, his mother’s brother-in-law. He couldn’t stand to raise Johnny, to look at him when he resembled his mother so clearly. Jaehyun sensed the mood change because his focus shifted to Johnny and he brought a warm hand up to squeeze Johnny’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I know it’s painful for you to remember. C’mon, let’s find Mark and we can cuddle puddle in his cave to make sure we all rest well.” Jaehyun used the hand he had on Johnny’s shoulder to steer him away from the cliff shoreside and further inland. With one last glance at the boats leaving, hundreds of people who were not his Rider, Johnny let himself be led away, feeling colder inside than he had all night. Jaehyun was right, tomorrow would bring new life and excitement and in another five years, Johnny would have another chance to meet his Match. It would all be better in the morning, he told himself, reaching up to take Jaehyun’s hand from his shoulder and hold it in his own hand as they walked.
Months bled by in the ever-lively forest of Du Weldenvarden Taeyong finds himself spending less and less of those months away from it. Home feels awkward when he’s there, too still and quiet, the people around him too bulky and slow. Even his father’s forge feels wrong, the metal too stiff and unbendable. It wrenched Taeyong’s heart to pieces when his mother took too long to answer his questions as if she had forgotten what his voice sounded like outside of his letters.
And so he lessened visits home, spent more months training with the elves. The only family he regularly saw was his uncle and Jisung, old enough now to travel with his father. They always brought news of his parents and siblings. His sister got married, his brother took over the forge, etc. He commented on how much Taeyong has changed, the delicate points of his ears, the lithe quality of his limbs, the delicacy of his stance; but his uncle’s comments were always proud. It warmed Taeyong a little, eases the ache of the growing distance between himself and home.
With every passing moment of distance between Taeyong and the place, he used to call home, his desire to train hard and be better grew. Letters from Taeil further spurred his eager desire to learn and grow and change. Taeil was supposedly doing quite well in his Rider training, his dragon Jungwoo was growing quite large at a rapid rate and Taeil was working to get over his fear of flying. Taeyong looked forward to every one of his correspondences because with the details Taeil used, Taeyong could live vicariously through the words of his friend.
With Taeil off learning how to speak to Jungwoo telepathically and how to wield a sword alongside Jungwoo’s fierce claws and lessons from a large dragon hybrid named Johnny, Taeyong found himself at a loss for friendships. Taeyong was a reserved boy to begin with, so when he was placed to room with Taeil he saw no need to get much closer than classmates with his fellow trainees. Taeil was similar enough to Taeyong that they got along easily and the friendship was tiring for Taeyong, instead, it energized him and encouraged him to spend more time around people and less time locked away practicing or helping out in the blacksmith’s shop.
But now that Taeyong was alone again he fell into bad habits. Or, rather, he would have if Heechul hadn’t moved Doyoung, another fellow trainee, into his room. Previously Doyoung had lived by himself in a small room that had been converted from storage into a bedroom and Heechul decided it would be better for both boys to live together. At first, it had been awkward, Taeyong was hurting from the loss of Taeyong and Doyoung was used to far more privacy than what was afforded by sharing a small treehouse with another teenage boy. But slowly as they spent more time together, as Heechul paired them up for training exercises, they became friends.
“Taeyong! You have a letter!” Taeyong heard Doyoung call out from the entrance of their house. “It’s from Taeil” he added on, and Taeyong perked up.
“In the room!” He shouted back, watching the book that hovered over his palm waver but not fall. Taeyong could hear the thud-thud-thud of Doyoung’s footsteps as he ran up the stairs, probably sending a little bit of energy to his feet to carry him up the many steps faster. Taeyong slowly dropped the book from the air into his hand, whenever Doyoung was this excited he had a tendency to throw whatever the cause was at Taeyong, and so he had learned to be prepared.
The door burst open and Doyoung flung himself into the room, as he landed on the floor next to Taeyong in a graceful but jumbled heap. Taeyong laughed a little as Doyoung brushed himself off, and then eagerly handed the envelope in his hand to Taeyong.
“I think it’s from Taeil! The Rider who brings mail from Vroengard was the man who gave it to me” Doyoung reported excitedly. Since he had befriended Taeyong he had admitted his jealousy for Taeil not only because he was paired with a dragon but because he had seemed very close with Taeyong, something Doyoung had also wished to achieve after seeing the boy in the forges.
“I just sent him a response a few days ago, I wonder what this could be about,” Taeyong wondered aloud, as he used a delicate fingernail to pierce the sealed paper and draw out the letter. It was indeed Taeil’s smooth, small penmanship. Taeyong scanned the letter, and when he reached the second paragraph he gasped loudly.
“Doyoung! They’re coming for a visit!” Taeyong exclaimed as he shoved the paper into Doyoung’s hands. Taeyong watched Doyoung’s face as he scanned the letter himself.
“Taeil and Jungwoo, that’s his dragon, right? And he says a… Johnny! Johnny will be accompanying him.” Doyoung met Taeyong’s eyes excitedly. He seemed to be bouncing a little in place, as his fingers trembled with energy. “Who do you think Johnny is? Maybe Taeil got a boyfriend?” Taeyong laughed at the slightly sour face Doyoung made. He had suspected that perhaps Doyoung was harboring feelings for his friend, and it would seem that Taeyong was right.
“Jungwoo is his dragon, and Johnny isn’t Taeil’s boyfriend. He one of the hybrids that works with the new Riders and trains them.” Taeyong explained and Doyoung perked up a little.
“Oh, okay, yeah good.” Taeyong chuckled and rolled his eyes.
“When are they coming?” He asked, he hoped it wouldn’t be too far off. It’s been almost a year since they said goodbye to Taeil on Vroengarg amd Taeyong missed him more each day.
“It says…..at the next full moon, that’s next week! That’s so soon!” Doyoung exclaimed and Taeyong grinned. Taeil would be here with them by this time next week. With Taeil at their sides again, the world would be a little more at ease. Taeyong smiled softly to himself and stood up. Next week would be a good week.
Johnny was glad for the offer to escort Taeil and Jungwoo, one of his favorite pairs to work with, the the Du Weldenvarden. They were good flying company, although Jungwoo still had to work on stamina and endurance, and Johnny was allowed the opportunity to stretch his wings and really spend time in his dragon form. Often Johnny, Mark, and Haehyun all remained as humans when not actively teaching flying lessons. It was easier for them to be housed, and Jaehyun and Mark knew it made Johnny more comfortable not to be seen by everyone as “that menacing black dragon.”
But hundreds of miles above empty ocean Johnny reveled in the freedom afforded by flying. The Du Weldenvarden appeared in his sight line and Johnny turned slightly to the left as he signaled Jungwoo to turn as well. Within minutes they hovered over the section of forest that they were permitted to land in. A graceful elf flashed a green signal to Johnny and he landed. Jungwoo followed his lead, although he hit the ground with significantly less grace than Johnny had. They would have to work on that. As soon as Taeil had clambered off of Jungwoo two boys dashed towards him and tackled him to the ground with the force of their embrace. Taeil laughed loudly and wildly, clutching them close. Jungwoo noses the two boys down and snorted in approval. Johnny moved as close to the tree line as he could and shifted back to human. He quickly threw on a tunic and leggings before anyone noticed and walked over.
Taeil had stood up and was in the process of getting Jungwoo introduced to his friends. Johnny walked over hesitantly, unaware if they had seen or met a shifter before. Taeil saw him and his eyes lit up.
“Hey Johnny! Come here!” Taeil called and Johnny had little choice but to listen. The boy who stood closest to Taeil, a hand still attached to his shoulder, was the most gorgeous boy Johnny had ever seen. He had silvery blonde hair, almost white, and was as boyishly charming as a human but as graceful and lithe as any elf. A delicately shaped but heavy looking sword hung from a thin leather belt around his thin waist and Johnny felt a flash of envy. It was a beautiful weapon, although not as quite as it’s master. Johnny felt his mouth go dry and a hot flash of panic zapped through him because he was about to have to talk to this beautiful boy.
“Johnny, this is Taeyong, my best friend, and this is Doyoung, a friend and training partner.” Taeil introduced, hand gesturing to the beautiful boy and another pretty, bunny-like boy next to him. Johnny inclined his head slowly in greeting.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m Johnny.” The beautiful boy smiled politely, and it sent Johnny’s heart pounding like a jackrabbit in his chest. As his eyes connected with the boy’s, Taeyong’s, Johnny felt a tug in his core and an inexplicable sense of familiarity and kinship. That was impossible, Johnny hadn’t ever lived in the mainland and there was no resemblance between either of them. Johnny shook himself mentally and focused in on what Taeyong was saying.
“Thank you for accompanying Taeil here. And for taking good care of him at home.” The boy said. His voice was melodious and Johnny had to fight back a stupid love struck smile.
“It’s no issue. Taeil is a model student, as are you Jungwoo,” Johnny added the second part in response to the low almost-growl. “Hopefully you both get to come train woth is soon.” Johnny finished and Taeyong grinned back wildly.
“Of course! Just you wait for us to take the world by storm!” Taeil playfully smacked his friend and gestured around the forest.
“Johnny, Jungwoo, would you guys like a tour?” Jungwoo snorted, clearly having chosen to respond mentally. Johnny nodded.
“Of course! See you both around.” He nodded again to Taeyong and then he was being dragged away by an enthusiastic Taeil, who had begun to chatter almost uncharacteristically as he pointed out a large tree and retold a great story from early in his training. It involved Taeyong and his sword and Johnny paid close attention, wars honed in on every word.
Johnnny really wishes that Pairing Moments happened more frequently. It would make the lines far more bearable to deal with, especially for himself and the other hybrids who are at the end and have to deal with people who have just been rejected over and over.
Although, Johnny does realize that his irritation and impatience stems from the fact that he has yet to see Taeyong. In the four years since they first met they’d become close, exchanging letters almost as frequently as Taeil and Doyoung. Despite not seeing each other in person after that first visit, they had bonded quite deeply over the years. Johnny knows that Taeyong is hopeful he’ll meet his dragon tonight, and all Johnny wants in life is for it to be him. He can’t remember if he and Taeyong ever brushed skin-to-skin during that visit so long ago, and so Johnny clings to the hope that Taeyong could be be his . His in mind, body, and spirit. Jaehyun and Mark laugh at him, joke that he’s so in love with Taeyong but Johnny doesn’t mind. It’s a little too true anyways.
It’s been a few hours and Johnny has started just reciting the same speech to every prospect that comes up to him. It’s only when he hears a loud gasp and the famialar “what the fuck” he knows so well that he zones back in to what he is doing. Doyoung and Jaehyun are holding hands, palm to palm, both faces slack with shock. There’s a burst of commotion, Mark and Johnny standing up to congratulate Jaehyun and Doyoung. They all met earlier when Taeyong and Dououng arrived and it’s honestly surprising that the two hadn’t matched earlier. Johnny pans his gaze around the room and spots Taeyong, hair practically glowing in the moonlight. He watches Doyoung with wide eyes and turns to leave, slipping between the crowd.
Before he can be swept away Johnny reaches out to grab Taeyong’s wrist, to stop him from leaving yet again just in time. Johnny’s jaw drops, as a prickly hot-and-cold sensation overtakes his palm. Taeyong gasps loudly, hand pulling away before stalling. “Johnny…” he whispers, voice barely above the sound of the chatter around them. “Johnny….look.” Johnny is helpless to deny Taeyong and he complies. And thank the heavens he did because around Taeyong’s wrist was a delicate circle of silver, imprinted directly onto his pretty pale skin.
“It’s you.” Johnny breathes out, voice shaky. He couldn’t quite believe it. After dreaming for so long, to have it be real felt euphoric. “I hoped so badly it would be you, Taeyong.” Johnny meets Taeyong’s eyes, wide and watery. He’s smiling, they’re both smiling so wide and Johnny can feel the ache in his cheeks but he doesn’t care. He can’t care because Taeyong is here and Taeyong is his .
“Johnny..” Taeyong breathes, the words like a prayer. And Johnny pulls him in close for a tight hug.
“Taeyong.” He replies, and it’s the only word he can say, the only thought on his mind all-consuming is just Taeyong, Taeyong, Taeyong. “I love you.” He sighs, words spoken right into Taeyong’s ear. And Johnny can sense the bustle around them, can hear Mark’s laugh and Jaehyun’s shouts in the periphery but nothing matter right now except for Taeyong.
“I love you too,” Taeyong whispers, and he sounds so breathless it makes Johnny’s heart clench. “Johnny, Johnny, I love you.” He sounds surer now. Johnny pulls back from the embrace and meets Taeyong’s eyes. He’s crying, just a little, but he’s smiling so much they can only be happy tears.
From now on they’ll always be happy tears, Johnny promises to himself. Because from now on he’ll always be at Taeyong’s side.