The Soft-Hearted Prince and His Dragon

5 - Galen

It was a slow evening, and Sen suggested they go for a walk. There was a path leading up into the mountain, and Sen liked going there every once in a while. No one from the village would ever go there—but even if they did, Sen's excellent sense of hearing would hear them from afar.

Galen enjoyed the walks, too. As much as he loved their current home, it was pleasant to be out, see the forest, and breathe the warm evening air. They went up to a little plateau from where one could overlook the whole forest and a big chunk of the valley behind it. The sun was disappearing below the horizon, and its glare was so bright as if someone had set it ablaze.

Galen thought about how quickly he had gotten used to life with Sen. The dragon was losing more and more of his former shyness every day, and Galen was amazed by the intelligence and kindness he saw in him. The two read together a lot and then spent hours discussing the books. After every lunch, Sen would lie down next to the fire in the middle of the cavern. Galen would walk around him, lifting a wing here, poking a tail there, running his fingers across Sen's rough skin, and muttering under his breath. He was delighted to learn that Sen also had a book on dragon physiology. He hoped he'd be able to heal Sen's wing within a few weeks if things went well.

"How did you find your way to magic, anyway?" Sen asked out of the blue.

"My grandma was a practitioner," Galen answered.

Sen's head rose in surprise. "I would think something like that is frowned upon in the royal family."

"It is. But there's one thing that people tend to listen to even more than tradition."

"And that is?"

"Power?" Galen shrugged. "My grandmother was the most powerful magician in our kingdom in centuries. She was a tough woman, a non-apologetic one. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about her history to understand how it all went down. But from what I remember, no one would dare to speak against her magic. That would not go well," he smirked.

"And she taught you?"

"Yes. My parents didn't like to see it as I was a boy and all..." Galen's face became gloomy. "After her death, I continued on my own, hiding it in front of my parents."

"What would they do if they knew?"

"Honestly? Not that much. They would just try to talk me out of it."

"That doesn't sound so bad..."

"It's not... Except that each time my parents caught me doing magic, I could see how disappointed they were. How they were afraid people would see and judge. How they wished their son was more... normal." Galen could barely get the last word out.

Sen looked at him with compassion in his fiery eyes. "I wish we lived in a world where people are celebrated for who they are... Your magic, it's a gift, Galen. And it's astonishing to watch you use it."

Galen glanced at Sen. "Thanks." There was a silence. "Did you know your parents?" Galen asked. He knew almost nothing about Sen's past. For all the new openness, Sen was very protective of it and anxiously avoided the topic.

"I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind."

"I understand." Galen did understand, although it didn't make him less curious.

"Do you think that anyone can learn magic? Or does one have to be born with it?" Sen continued the previous topic after a while, deep in thoughts.

"I don't know. But I tend to believe that you can l—"

The dragon jumped up, every muscle in his body tight. Then he darted out, and his tail disappeared behind the bend soon. What the... Galen thought. He set off after him.