"Wyvern Trouble": An "Elf Tears" short

A scene with the main characters as small children won the vote for tonight's blog post, so here it is! It is very short, but hopefully it will give you a bit of a glimpse into the people they will become. I will probably follow this up with mini scenes of the two runner-ups as well: the main characters with the humans and them learning magic.

Wyvern Trouble

 “Can I go see Phen's new wyvern now, Mom? Pleeeeaaase?” five-year-old elf princess Éadra pleaded with her mother. Her green eyes shone with excitement and she clasped her hands in front of her.

“Just let me comb and braid your hair and then yes, you may go,” her mother said with a smile. She finished pulling Learé's hair back into a ponytail and pulled Éadra over before the girl could escape.

“But Mom, I don't want my hair braided,” Éadra complained. “Why can't I wear it in a ponytail like Learé does?”

“Because your twin sister doesn't get sticks and leaves caught in it like you do,” her mom replied.

“That's because she's too busy sword fighting with the sticks to climb trees with me,” muttered Éadra. Learé stuck her tongue out at her and ran off.

Éadra fidgeted as her mother combed and braided her hair, then took off after her twin into the castle courtyards.

When she got out, she saw that Learé had Phen pinned to the ground. “I yield, I yield!” the blond-haired boy was saying. Learé let him up.

“I thought so,” the girl said with a smile.

“What are you doing to him?” Éadra said as she ran up.

“I bet Phen he couldn't wrestle me and win,” said Learé.

“She wouldn't let me not wrestle her,” said the boy.

“How is it I'm always the one with the dirty hair?” Éadra complained.

Learé shrugged. “I'm more careful.”

“So did you bring your wyvern?” Éadra asked, turning to Phen.

Phen brightened. “Oh ya! He's over here. I call him Bitey 'cause he snaps a lot.”

He picked up a glass jar and dumped the miniature lizard inside out onto his palm. True to its name, the little thing nipped Phen's finger. “Ow!” he said, dropping it. The creature scrambled off and climbed up a nearby tree, Phen running after it. “Get back here!” he called, climbing the tree himself. Éadra ran under the tree and looked up at him, watching her friend crawl out onto a branch and reach after his disobedient pet. The sunlight filtered green through the leaves, making the princess have to shield her eyes.

“Do you need help?” she asked her friend.

“No, I've almost got him,” Phen replied. “Just a little farther . . .” But just as his hand closed around the reptile, he lost his balance and fell out of the tree.

Éadra ran up to him. “Are you okay?” she asked, kneeling down beside him.

 “I think so,” said Phen. He brought his hand up to his face and smiled as he saw the wyvern still clasped in his grip. “Got him!” Then he shook a finger at the creature. “Bad,” he said. “Don't do that again.”