The Other Side: A Second Chance

"Whelp, I think that's everything there!" Mr. Shwarz said with a grunt as he and one of his farmhands hoisted a decent-sized crate into the back of a wagon he had chosen to gift to us. He and his assistant stepped back away from it with a stretch. "Aside from the strider, which Alder should be bringing up soon, you got three days' worth of food and water, which should be plenty enough to get you to the metropolis as long as you stick to the main road." He dusted his hands off on his overalls and smiled at my parents before sticking his hand out for a shake.

My father took his hand firmly and shook it. "Thank you, Mr. Shwarz," he said, relieved. "You really didn't have to do all of this."

The older human smiled and nodded. "As I told Cailynn here, it's repayment for the help all those years ago. Besides, it'd be rude of me to not help those in need who are trying to get away from all this madness."

"Speaking of which," my mother said softly, "you should come with us, Albert; the frontline is only five days away; you never know when danger may come."

Mr. Shwarz held up a dismissive hand and shook his head. "I thank you, but my services are needed on this farm." He smiled. "Refugees need a place to stay and recuperate, as do the soldiers. I also have a crop that needs finished harvesting." He smirked. "Besides, I'm not a young boy anymore. The road would take it all out of me, and the city isn't really a place for me"

My mother opened her mouth to protest but stopped, closed her eyes, and smiled with a nod. "I see, thank you."

"Mr. Shwarz!" A younger man's voice called from behind us. I turned to look, and one by one, each of our eyes widened and our mouths fell open. Coming over the hill towards the guest house was a younger human, and in his hands were the reins connected to a familiar, fiery red strider.

"There's no way," I said softly.

"Alder," Shwarz said as he politely stepped around us and walked towards the man. "What took you so long?"

Alder sighed, shook the reins on the strider, and said, "It's this pesky beast. She doesn't listen to a damn thing I say."

Shwarz came over, took the reins from the man's hand, and reached up to rub the ruby-colored dragon's snout. "That's because she isn't familiar with you," he said softly before switching to the draconian tongue.

I was surprised when the older man's voice switched to something grueling and harsh as he spoke to the creature, which huffed and squawked in response. Its head raised and stared at us, and I squeaked when its eyes narrowed on me and my family.

"Is that so?" Shwarz hummed and turned to face us. "This one is apparently familiar with all of you."

My mother blinked and glanced at my father, who took a shaky breath and said, "That's Ruby, isn't it?"

Shwarz smirked and said, "Aye. That's what she told me."

"She was a strider. I got off the soldiers back in our home town," he said. "When we were fleeing the Rusivites, we left her back in New Gessik. Having her would've slowed us down too much." He looked at the strider.

Ruby, I never thought I'd see her again. I thought to myself as I looked over at her with my father. Her scales were scuffed and scarred in a few places, and her feathers were torn and disheveled. She had been through a lot.

"That's what I assumed when she told me," Alder said.

"E-Excuse me," I said nervously, and everyone turned to face me. "What do you mean she told you?" I asked. I had known Striders could understand draconian, but I didn't know it went both ways or that they were even intelligent enough to speak.

Mr. Shwarz smiled. "I take it you haven't spent a lot of time around these beautiful creatures," he said while petting Ruby.

"We never really needed one back in Oren," my mother said.

Mr. Shwarz nodded and said, "I see. To your answer question, I meant just that. Striders, or, well, all dragons, are capable of speech. They're very smart creatures, though unlike true dragons, they are only capable of speaking in their native tongue," he explained. "Land dragons and Enorans have been companions since history was ever recorded. Man's best friend is what some folk say." He patted Ruby's side.

"But… wait," I said softly. "If they're smart enough to talk and such, Isn't that like… slavery?"

A moment of extremely awkward silence fell around us.

Mr. Shwarz let off a nervous laugh and said, "Well, I never really thought that, and I don't think any of my striders ever really said anything of the sort. They're intelligent, but only to the point of saying, Like, a very young kid, younger than you." He gestured to me. "I don't even know if they would understand the concept, but I'll be honest, I haven't really asked them."

My father stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. "How about we save this conversation for another time, Luna?"

Feeling incredibly anxious, I nodded my head and said, "Okay, Papa." I glanced at Ruby, who was still looking at each of us, her head cocked to the side. I shuddered. Striders were so scary-looking. Seeing her eyeing us so quizzically like a giant velociraptor made me think she was going to pounce on us.

Mr. Shwarz cleared his throat. "Anyways, the story lines up. We found young Ruby here probably about a week ago. She was still harnessed up but had no wagon, which made me think someone must've let her go. Either that, or the wagon she was hitched to got destroyed. So we took her in, fed her, and treated her wounds as best we could. She's the only spare strider I have that I'm willing to lend to you all. What do you say?"

My father glanced down at me and Varis. "What do you think, kiddos?"

"I don't mind," Varis said with a grumble; he seemed to be hardly paying attention to the conversation.

Father glanced at me. "If Ruby is okay with it, I'm fine," I said.

Mr. Shwarz smiled and said, "Well, let's ask her." He turned to Ruby, cleared his throat, and once again, the guttural throat sounds began to sound as he spoke the dragon tongue.

Ruby's head immediately snapped to attention before tilting towards Shwarz as if to listen deeper. After a few moments, Ruby also began to grunt and growl in response before hissing and clicking her teeth.

The older man nodded a little before turning to us. "She seems willing, though I won't lie, she isn't happy either."

My mother took a deep breath. "I can try to warm her up a bit as soon as we get on the road. Perhaps a few extra meals will cheer her up."

"Aye, I have some spare kibble I can lend you." Mr. Shwarz said it with a smirk. "Food is usually the quickest way to get to a dragon's heart."

"Well then," Father said, "let's get her hitched up and…" He trailed off and glanced at the sky briefly before saying, "It's about noon. So we have time to hit the road and make great progress."

With that, Mr. Shwarz nodded and clapped his hands together before motioning for Alder to help hitch Ruby to the wagon. Taking a deep breath, I watched as my parents said their final goodbyes to the kind old man before everyone climbed onto the wagon along with me behind them. With one last wave and thanks, my mother spoke with Ruby as my father flicked the reins and we began to move.

---

It's been a little over a day since I woke up. After my family and I caught up on what exactly happened, things had mostly been relaxed. On Shwarz's farm, before we left, I didn't do anything aside from relax. I had planned to speak with Varis, but it seemed he was mostly avoiding me for the time being. Father had spoken to him in private about his outburst during our conversation, and while that had calmed him somewhat, he still appeared agitated.

Now that we were back on the road in a wagon, avoiding me was something he couldn't entirely do. Not that I was going to intentionally bother him just yet. I had chosen to give him some more time to relax before bothering him.

I watched as the village of Gunther disappeared behind us over the horizon. I hadn't had the time to explore the little village due to being on the farm the whole time, but seeing it go did leave a pit in my stomach. The brief time we were there was nice. A small pocket of peace surrounded by a sea of conflict is an oasis. Being back out on the road again, fleeing from conflict. I wasn't ready for it. Even though we were five days away from the frontline, my anxiety dreaded the moment that Master's voice would come into my head and announce that a Rusivite war machine was going to pop up.

But he didn't. He's been quiet. Too quiet. Like that period when he helped me save Isa, he hasn't said a word. I recall him mentioning that when he had helped me before, it took a lot out of him. I could only imagine what possessing me must've done to him.

Being possessed. Something I never would've expected to happen to me. I honestly don't know how I feel about it. What he did helped us all, yet it also terrified my family. Even though my agency was stripped from me, what he did led us to the best outcome. Is that an equal trade-off? Is it acceptable?

I don't know.

As we ventured down the road, noon turned to evening. The world around us was once again nothing but rolling green hills with the occasional thicket and lone, pink Sycora trees. Though we weren't alone, the road was packed full of refugees. People like us who are fleeing the conflict are beaten, disheveled, depressed, and apathetic.

Men could be seen arguing off the side of the road with a broken wagon. Mothers and wives were trying to console their children; the elderly rested on the road, too tired to continue. All of this I could see by the dozens or even a hundred. Up ahead, campsites were being set up, and among them, I could see a man standing on top of a coach. A human was in black robes with an amice around his shoulders, his arms stretched out, and in his right hand was a large leather book.

At the base of the coach were over a dozen people of all races on their hands and knees. Their foreheads pressed into the dirt as they appeared to pray and listen to the man's preaching.

"By Salvation's grace, our heavenly father's son shall guide us along the path to Eden. For it is he who shall return on the day of reckoning to shepherd us into the new age. As we walk this path, it'll be up to us to seek out those who are misled and usher them along on the route of guidance, so that on that day, we shall all, as one, return to the Garden."

"What is he talking about?" Varis grumbled as our wagon rolled past the coach.

"It's a priest of the All-Father," Mother said softly beside me and yawned. "It's a newer religion that formed some time ago."

As I watched the priest continue with his sermon, I suddenly felt my mother's hands wrap around me, and I yelped with surprise as my mother pulled me onto her lap. "Gah! Let go of me!" I squirmed as my mother simply giggled and kissed the top of my head.

"I missed this," she said softly, cuddling me.

Unable to break from her grasp, I went limp and accepted my fate. Her warmth and soft figure left me feeling comfortable as I watched Isa drape her arm around Varis, who also tried to squirm away but wasn't fast enough. My mentor pulled him close to her and rested his head against the side of her bosom. Varis blinked with surprise for a moment but then sighed, as he too knew that trying to get away from our cuddly caretakers would be fruitless within the confines of this small wagon.

We came upon more and more refugees along the road as evening began to dip into the night. In the far east, I could see Radiance and Andoria, the two moons, taking up a large portion of the sky as they began to rise. Radiance, living up to its name, shone brightly in its full glory, making for a well-lit, clear night.

I've always been fond of the moons around Enora. Radiance is the most beautiful of all. It was habitable—at least I'm making an educated guess—with its visible forested continents and vast oceans and clouds. It looked like a small Earth. Or really, the nerd in me thought of Endor from Star Wars the first time I saw it.

Back on Earth, people debated endlessly about whether life exists in other worlds. Yet here, on Enora, their answer was as clear as day, or night in this case. Hovering above them, revolving around their world, was another perfectly habitable world above them.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" My mother asked me after I noticed what I was looking at.

I nodded. "It is," I said. "Do you ever wonder what kind of creatures, or people, might be up there?" I asked her.

My mother pursed her lips in thought and said, "Honestly, I never thought about that. Maybe not so different than what's down here." She hummed.

"I doubt that," I said as I noticed Varis and Isa nodding off together. I lowered my voice so as not to disturb them. "It must be a whole different environment up there. Don't animals and such change based on regions and what's around them?"

My mother cocked an eyebrow. "Well, now, aren't you thinking big. Have you still been studying on the road?" She asked.

I blushed. "N-No, why do you ask?"

My mother smiled. "What you're talking about has a name, and kids don't learn about it till secondary school." She hummed and gazed back up at the moon. "It's the theory of evolution. Gnomeish philosopher and artificer Jelen Papperson was the first to come up with the idea back in 1758. Back in the day, it was argued, and still is in some areas, that the gods designed all animals and people within the material plane and have been that way since their inception. But little Jelen disagreed and stated that, while yes, the gods did create us, they also left the doors open for us to shape how we live."

I nodded. "Well, we know the gods are real," I said. "So, like, why debate and argue when we could just ask them?"

My mother chuckled and tussled my hair and said, "Unfortunately, the gods are not so easy to speak to. Many of which do not bother us down here due to the Divine Mandate. If you recall from our studies, those are the supposed codes of laws they abide by. One of which is the intrusion rule. I'm not too knowledgeable about it as it isn't my field, but I am aware of that rule."

I nodded. I recalled back on the camping trip what my mother told me about the Intrusion War, also known as the War in Heaven. So the gods like to take a hands-off approach to their creation. I thought as I rested back against my mother. I was starting to feel tired, and seeing Varis and Isa already asleep was making me want to nap too.

I felt my mother's hand gently petting my head, and I hummed softly as my eyes began to feel heavy. "Have I ever told you how smart you are, Luna?" My mother asked softly.

"A couple times," I mumbled.

My mother smirked. "Well, I'm going to tell you some more. You are very intelligent for your age. A little genius. You pick up on things so quickly, and you surprise me constantly with what you know. I swear, one day when you get into university, you'll blow the socks off all the magisters and teachers." She hummed.

"What makes you think I'm going to university?" I yawned. "I want to stay with you guys."

My mother dawed and said, "Well, I want to be with you too, but such knowledge should be cultivated and grown." She hummed and took a deep breath. "Besides, we elves have plenty of time. I'm not saying that once we get to someplace safe, you're going to be going off to school. Not any time soon at least."

"Isn't that what you and Papa wanted to do anyway?" I asked. "To send me away."

My mother frowned a little as I gazed up at her, and she took a deep breath and said, "We wanted to send you away to get away from all of this." She looked out over the many refugee camps we were passing. "Your father and I were hoping that things wouldn't happen as quickly as they did. We thought we had at least a year, and at that time we'd have the wagon, a strider, everything to comfortably move away and send you off to university to find a mentor… We were naive. Even if we had gotten a wagon and strider, we didn't expect Rusimia to send that ultimatum so soon or for the Kaiser to reject it so swiftly. Because of our ignorance we…" Mother trailed off into silence.

"It's okay, Momma," I said softly. "We all make mistakes; it's what… makes us alive," I said, having almost said human. "Nobody is perfect, and even then, we're all okay." I gestured to everyone in the wagon. "A little beat up, but we're all breathing." I yawned. "There's no need to worry about what's happened; instead, focus on the future."

I lie as easily as I breathe. I thought. If only I could say the same for myself. I'm always worried about shit from the past. As much as I hate to admit it.

My mother smiled gently, stroked the top of my head, and said, "You're very sweet, Luna. I can't imagine what you've been through during our time away."

I took a deep breath. "A lot." is all I said.

Mother nodded. "Isa told me some of it; she said you were trained by Alexander Mihaljević, one of the few ancients." She hummed.

"You know of him?" I asked.

My mother giggled and said, "Everyone within my field of study knows of that goof. He's a kind, old man. A bit of a strict teacher I've heard, and crude, and… a lecher." She shuddered at the last bit. "But he's a kind."

I nodded. "He was friendly to me… though he kept calling me Squirt." I huffed.

My mother snorted. "That's because you are," she said, patting my head.

"I'm not!" I squeaked, and my mother laughed. I squirmed a bit more in her arms before suddenly Ruby let off a loud growling whine, and the wagon began to veer off course and onto the grass along the side of the road.

"What's going on?" My mother asked my father.

My father, who looked dead tired in the driver's seat, looked over his shoulder. "I think Ruby wants to rest, and frankly, so do I."

My mother nodded. "Alright, I still feel wide awake, so I'll keep watching for tonight. As sad as it is, I don't want any desperate folk sneaking up on us."

My father nodded tiredly and said, "That makes sense. Wake me up when you need to sleep, and I'll watch as well."

"Will do." Mother said and looked at me. "Sweetie I'm going to make room for your father and sit up front. So I'm going to need you to move."

I whined. "But you're so soft!" I hugged her tighter.

"Oh, so now you want to cling to me." My mother giggled.

"C'mon, Luna," my father said sleepily. "Why don't you cuddle with me." He offered.

"Never!" I spat as I got up off of my mother.

My father pouted and turned to my mother. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you." My mother giggled as I snickered and paused when I noticed something far off to the west.

Despite the world around us being dimly lit, the horizon was brightly lit with blue and yellow lights. "Whoa," I said, "What is that?" I asked.

Both my parents turned to look at what I was staring at before finally my dad smiled and said, "That's Johanneson; we're about two days out now. Soon, we'll be in the big city, where night and day don't matter."