I got to the port just as the dragon landed in between the trees. The ground crew immediately came with gallons of water for the probably weary flier while others looked on his back to check for supplies or other things he might have brang. After a second they slid off the wings with nothing in their hands. Looks like the dragon didn’t even need to be unloaded! A free flight! Now I had my mind set on this ride. My brother will get to the land of the light, and it will be on the back of that dragon!

I had never been to the port before, so I didn’t know if you just hopped on or waited somewhere or… never mind, I’d figure it out.

I was about to go in between the trees and head to the ground crew to ask for a flight, when the king approached me.

“Going somewhere, young’n?”

Oh no. not when I’m this close.

“Yes!” I said, out of breath. “My brother is very sick! He needs treatment, we need to get to the land of the light so that the nature deity may help him!” I told the king.

“Nice try, but everyone has a sick family member at this point in time! You cannot just put yourself above others and take our only dragon landing here for days to treat your brother.”

“Actually, she may,” said a low, rocky voice.

All who were there turned to the dragon.

“-If she is pure of heart,” he finished.

“Ooohh! The pure of heart test! One who does best for the good of all who live may get a free ride on the back of a dragon!” One of the ground crew workers recited from the old legend.

My eyes flicked to my brother, then the king, the ground crew and finally the dragon. Well, what do I need to do to prove I’m pure of heart?

“All I must do is breathe my fire on you.” he bellowed. “If you are pure of heart, you won’t be burned and may ride me to the land of the light.

The king looked worried as if we may actually try to do this. But he didn’t look worried for my sake. He looked worried as if he may lose his only dragon to a little girl.

“Now, now,” the king started. “Let’s not-”

“Let’s get on with it then.” I said shakily. “I’d like a free ride.”

The ground crew parted ways and the dragon turned to me.

I had a bad feeling I wasn’t pure of heart but I hoped I was, for my brother and the fox’s sake.

The dragon slowly lowered it’s car-sized head in line with my body, it’s bright yellow eyes staring into mines.

“Wait, will I die if I’m not pure of heart?” I asked the dragon.

“No.” he answered. “But you will be badly burnt.”

I gulped.

The dragon took a deep breath in, sucking up air. My cape blew in his direction. Then finally, he let out a mighty breath of inferno.

But at that split second before the fire hit me, I thought, I’m pure of heart.

Right?

I thought about the time my mother gave me four cookies, two for me and two to share with my brother, and I ate one of his.

I thought about the time I stole my best friend’s book when she wouldn’t let me read it.

I thought about the time I had killed an ant for no reason out in the dirt, stepping on it only just to step on it.

But it was too late to stop the test. The fire was already at me.

It felt like I was climbing into an open stove that was set on high. My clothes suddenly felt like foil, packing the heat tight into my skin.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH! Enough! Enough!” I yelled. Through the heat waves I saw the dragon close its mouth.

The ground crew stared at me in horror.

“Jenna,” my brother said weekly before he went into a fit of uncontrollable coughing.

“She isn’t pure of heart.” one of the ground crew women stated.

I felt tears well up in my eyes.

The king went over to me and kneeled down. “Are you alright, young lady?”

“Y-yes,” I told him, about to cry.

“Good. well then. I guess we’ll be saving this dragon for other flights. I do have a few merchandise folk who’d love to sell their goods in the far kingdom of Kusambira. Let’s get them saddled up. The king then walked off, and the dragon turned away from me and now looked to the horizon, and flapped its wings twice, preparing to be saddled.

I looked at my clothes now, dry and charred to blackness at the edges.

I looked at my brother, unconscious yet again. I looked at that poor fox, who was still staring into nowhere, it’s final hours dawning on it.

I didn’t run all this way for nothing.

“PLEASE!”

Stares from all around.

“PLEASE DEAR DRAGON, PLEASE MAY I HAVE A RIDE! MY BROTHER IS DYING, AND SO IS THIS POOR FOX. I MAY NOT BE PURE OF HEART, BUT I KNOW THE WRONG DOINGS I’VE DONE, AND I SHALL NEVER REPEAT THEM, FOR GUILT IS ENOUGH!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Tears streamed down my eyes.

The dragon stared at me. Then, he spoke.

“Mount.”

“What!?” the king nearly yelled. “But dear dragon, you said only pure of heart may get a ride! This young lady is not pure of heart! Why would you let her mount when she-”

“I understand she is not pure of heart. But she has learned from lying, stealing, and the pointless murder of a poor ant that it is not right to do these things, and she has learned to better herself. Dear king, you are still money hungry, and you have not changed. You are not pure of heart, and you do not wish to be. She does.” the dragon informed him.

The dragon then lowered his head and closed his eyes. “Mount, young dame.”

I then slowly started to walk, then grabbing my brother’s wagon after I remembered to bring him along to. I wheeled him over to the ground crew.

“He’ll need to be saddled up by hand,” I told them. “He can’t walk. Neither can the fox.”

My brother was strapped on to an old mattress that was then buckled to the dragon in three sections. The fox was strapped on to. Finally, my turn approached.

I then gingerly took a step on to the end of the nose of the dragon, and began climbing to his neck, using his spine scales to climb him.

Once I was up, I was quite scared. I was many feet off the ground, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that the scales were so smooth I would fall right off, and crush my head. Thankfully, the ground crew came and buckled me tight to the neck of the dragon, tightening the buckle until I felt safe.

Then the ground crew parted ways. “Alright, prepare for flight!” one of the ground crew yelled up. I got a clear view of the field ahead. Here I was on a dragon. Something I always dreamed of!

“Hold on to one of my horns, young lad, or this may be a bumpy trip.” the dragon warned me. I quickly grabbed hold of his left horn. It felt rocky and scrappy.

“You are prepared for take-off,” a crewman told the dragon, and slowly, and steadily, it began to trot.

The dragon began running, and riding him became a little fun. I smiled. The cold wind felt good, blowing on my face. I could feel every leep and stomp to the ground, high and low, high and low. I turned to my brother, and seeing him lay so sick brought me back to earth. I had a mission, one that was not yet finished.

The dragon then ran faster still, spread out his wings, gave them a little shake, and then we left the ground, flying high into the sky. I looked down. The trees kept getting tinier. The air made my head feel a bit weird as we pushed ourselves into the air, but I didn’t care. Nature deity, here we come!

I looked at my unconscious brother. If only he could enjoy this as much as me.