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Gunpowders and Dragons

There is a story you might heard of, about the love between a (normal) human girl and a dragon. The human girl was a princess betrothed to a ‘lovely’ prince descended from a family of dragon-slayers. There were no dragons after the last one was slain by this prince’s grandfather. They changed the sacrificial song into something lovely, a wedding vow. Turns out dragons were not all gone, kidnapped the princess after being called by the song, and stranded her in an island made from the carcass of an ancient dragon.

There was animosity between them, as the girl knew the stories of dragons being monsters, and the dragon himself trying to shy away from a world of blood and fire his ancestors had been doing. He knew the horrors of his past, and he tried his best to reject the blood of the flying reptilian within him. Then, out of sympathy, this princess girl tried to help the dragon, who chose to live as a human, to enjoy his life as a human. After a while, they grew close, but the dragon felt that they could not live together, because of an old ritual where the maiden they kidnapped was burned to ashes and a newborn baby with a dragon’s blood was born (morbid, but apparently that’s how dragons were made in this story. I pretty much prefer they fucked each other, but that’s non-consensual, and no, that’s bad). The dragon persuaded the princess to get back to the humans, but it was clear that they loved each other.

Heart-broken, she returned to her kingdom, resumed the wedding ritual, except now she became enamored with the dragon that she started singing the ‘dragon-summoning song’. They dragon came, snatched her away, and turned out that all they needed was love, and love was the answer to control the dragon within. She loved him, he loved her, and they lived on that island, had a child, then made love in the air (I mean, what’s more romantic than falling with a dragon you loved, huh? The adrenaline pumping into your veins? Well, don’t worry. This dragon knew what he’s doing…I guess). Then they lived happily ever after, with a dragonborn who would grew into a dragon someday, too.

But, what if I told you that this story does not end here? What if, a simple fairy tale about a dragon and his girl, turned out to be a backdrop of something different, say, a war of nations? This little story shows a world beyond the scope of the two main characters, even if it is just a little. It may be expanded upon, but for now, this is a story to be told.

Without further ado, enjoy.

***

For starters, the girl’s name was Illyana, and the dragon’s name was Ramin. Their child was Petra, and by this point in time, was old enough to know her heritage of a dragonborn, and her ability to turn into one. As she was born from the womb of a human, she would not have the ‘memory-rush’ Ramin had, as Ramin was (apparently) the last dragon born from the ashes of a maiden. Of course, this was unknown, and there was disagreement between Illyana and Ramin. She preferred her daughter to follow her own way, but Ramin feared that she would be terrified for the change.

“Let her choose her own path, Ramin,” said Illyana. “There’s bound to be dangers for you, me, and all of us.”

“I can’t, Illya,” said Ramin. “I…cannot let her see my ancestors’ past. I told you everything about it, and the ritual.”

“But she’s my child, Ramin. If she’s not born from my ashes, then she won’t know.”

“I can’t let her become a dragon.”

“Please, Ramin, just let her choose. It’s her destiny.”

Ramin did not want to talk to her about it, so he silently walked out of their home and jumped from the cliff. Illyana, frustrated, knew that this was the way Ramin tried to escape arguments: turning into a dragon and flying away to help clear his head. She grunted.

“Fine. Leave me here while you fly and clear your head,” muttered Illyana. She walked back and saw her daughter playing near the coast. She smiled towards her, but also reminisced about her own past with her dragon husband. Unlike her, her daughter was not born in a kingdom life. She did not know the life of a princess, but she knew the stories of a princess. Her daughter, however, was conflicted, too. The dragonborn had a choice to be a dragon, or not. She was a human with a dragon’s blood in her, after all. Illyana sometimes envied how dragons could just fly away and make their problems go away just by looking at the clouds. It helped in many ways, and Illyana, who experienced love-making while falling in the air, was somehow calm, knowing that she was being embraced in a dragon’s wings.

“Petra, come to mother,” she said. The child, now 13 years of age, liked to play with the debris of shipwrecks that came to the island. Many times, there were no bodies or even any corpses within. As if by magic, they disappeared. Illyana thought that Ramin, or some other dragons, burned them into ashes, but Ramin claimed to not do it. Either way, these were the only things that kept them alive, aside from Ramin occasionally taking a box full of food or simply bought some with Illyana, who asked Ramin to be more ‘human’ in surviving in the world.

Petra looked at her mother as she walked back, drenched in sea water and dirty with sand. Illyana smiled towards her and tried walking down towards her. The rock around the island provided some good stepping stone for them to go down to the sea and go up back to their cave. Living for a while on that island had made Illyana and Petra accustomed to the rock, with Ramin simply fly down if he felt like it, but most of the time, he climbed down with them. Petra was a nimble child and liked to climb rock with her mother.

She tried to walk back home, but then saw a shadow looming over her. Both her and her mother looked, in shock, of what creature could possess such shadow. But before their shock could make sense of what it was, the owner of the shadow crash-landed on the beach and was simply knocked out cold. It was a dragon, roughly the size of Ramin, but with scale color brighter than Illyana’s husband. Like Ramin, it had no front legs, with its arms being wings instead. Illyana walked towards Petra while trying to protect her, but was surprised by the figure riding the dragon.

There was a man, clad in leather armor, who jumped down the dragon and tried to look at his situation. From the way he acted and his gestures, he was clearly trying to pull the dragon away from the shores. He then looked around, trying to find something to at least help a dragon clearly bigger than he was. Illyana, who felt this situation paralleled her first revelation of Ramin’s identity, wanted to help, so she told Petra to return to their cave home while she jumped down the rocks and ran towards the dragon and the human.

The human noticed her, but then pulled a sword and pointed it towards her. She stopped and raised her hands. He then looked at her, before sighing and sheathing his sword.

“Don’t get in my way, lady, and don’t tell this to anyone,” said the human. “I won’t hesitate to kill anyone who tries to harm her.”

“I mean you no harm, sir,” said Illyana. “Turns out, I also have quite a relationship with a dragon. Why doesn’t see turn into a human?”

“She’s not that kind of dragon. She’s hatched from eggs. Anyway, if you’re living with a dragon, where is it?”

“We had…some kind of an argument. He’s flying around to clear his head.”

“Oh…well, I don’t want to pry, but could you call him?”

“I don’t know how to call him. He usually comes home after a…”

After she said that, a familiar dragon flew down and, with his claws, pulled the unconscious dragon out of the water and towards a dry land. The human looked at the dragon as he landed near them, growling and snorting.

“Uh, Ramin…”

“I have no ill will towards you,” said Ramin with a deep voice. “But who are you to come to our home?”

“We crashed,” said the human. “Well, technically, Selana crashed. It’s a good thing we found this skull island. Otherwise, we might be ditching in the middle of an ocean in god knows where. Anyway, thank you, dragon, but I hope you don’t mind burning some wood for us?”

Ramin looked towards Illyana, who nodded. The dragon walked to a nearby stack of wet wood and burned it with his fire breath. He looked towards Illyana and walked towards her.

“I hope you’re okay with me in this form, Illya.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take your clothes.”

As Illyana walked up towards their home, the human looked at Ramin. He was clearly interested with him.

“Do you have questions?” asked the dragon.

“So, you’re one of the ashborns?” he said. “There aren’t many of you left.”

“How do you know?”

“Your companion told me about it, asking if Sel can change to a human. I instantly knew you’re an ashborn. We were taught about it in the academy. Your kind is quite rare because of…well, you know the reason.”

“Who are you? How do you find this island?”

“We happened upon it. We were being attacked somewhere near the western sea. Sel was trying her best to lose them, but she was exhausted. We flew for one whole day to find someplace to land. If it wasn’t for this skull island, we might ditch in the middle of an ocean, and…we might not survive. What is your name, if I may know?”

“Ramin.”

“Ramin, eh? Not a bad name. My name’s Nicholas.”

“So, did you name her, too?”

“She has a mother who named her.”

Upon seeing Ramin’s troubled expression, Nicholas realized that he hit something sensitive. He then said, “Sorry. I said something without thinking sometimes.”

“It’s alright. I am not named by my father, and as such I never knew my name. Illya gave me the name ‘Ramin’. It means ‘One who brings joy’.”

“I guess you could say that,” said Nicholas with a smile.

“How about you and the dragon?”

“It’s nothing special, really. We were bonded together since childhood, and we are inseparable ever since. It’s something more of a necessity, really, if you want to be a dragon-rider. Trust is very important between the dragons and their riders in the air force.”

Ramin grunted while Illyana returned with some clothes. The dragon then turned back into a human directly in front of an astonished Nicholas. Ramin then noticed the sky and the wind started to change. He then turned towards Nicholas and said, “The weather will soon change. I suggest you take shelter with us.”

“I prefer it here, with Sel,” said Nicholas. “Thank you.”

After he said that, Nicholas tended to Selana. The dragon was still unconscious but was mostly healthy, with Ramin knowing that she was just tired. Leaving the two visitors to their own, Ramin and Illyana returned to their own home. They looked at their sleeping child, Petra, and smiled towards her while embracing each other.

“Illya, I’m sorry,” said Ramin. Illyana turned towards him.

“About what?”

“About my indecision. You’re right. Petra has her own path to follow. Like my father before me, we have a choice whether to stay human or become a dragon. In my years accepting my fate, I forgot that I once had a choice.”

“And flying helps you clear your head?”

“I suppose dragons do belong in the sky, after all.”

They both smiled at each other before they sat down. Illyana pulled out an ocarina made from bone, and said, “I’ve learned a new song, from the bard in that village we visited. Care to listen?”

“For you, my dear, always,” said Ramin with a smile.

***

Near the shore, true to Ramin’s words, the sea and the sky raged, causing a storm that was both cold and windy. He took shelter in a nearby tent, which was made adjacent to a cave. As he was warming up near the flame, he heard a distinctive growl from his partner. Selana grunted and growled as she opened her beautiful sky-blue eyes, and noticed Nicholas nearby, eating some dried fruits and a bread.

“Have some for me?” said Selana short. Nicholas gave her some fresh fish he had from the sea, in which Selana ate them whole. She then dragged herself to where Nicholas was, putting her head inside his tent. She sniffed him.

“You have a dragon’s scent with you. So, there’s one living here, then?” said Selana.

“One, with his human companion,” said Nicholas. “He’s an ashborn, by the way.”

“Ah, the product of the ritual of old,” said Selana. “I hope he isn’t the start of more of them. It sickened me how they were born from ashes, a product of dark magic that requires death before life.”

“You don’t like him?”

“His kind is the reason or race is so rare.” Selana sighed. “But no matter. He is what he is. I cannot judge. Still, I envy how they were born as a human, and chose to be a dragon when the time is right.”

“There is a magic to make you human.”

“I prefer not. I love myself the way it is.” Selana growled and put her head near the fire. “But then, it will be our fault if they find us.”

“This place is in the middle of a vast ocean. You were exhausted just to get here.”

“Do not underestimate their naval prowess, Nicholas. We may rule the skies, but they rule the seas. They will come.”

“God, I hope they don’t come now. I need a good rest.”

“You and I both.”

“Will you be alright?”

“The rain does not bother me the slightest,” said Selana with assuring tone.

“Suit yourself, then. Make yourself comfortable.”

Nicholas then walked back to the drier part of the cave and found a cloth and some pillow. He smirked and said, “Well, hospitality’s clearly everywhere.”

He then fashioned a bed from whatever he had and slept there, warmed by the fire and Selana’s giant reptilian face in front of his eyes. Nicholas was enamored by her eyes, which were considered a rarity among dragons. He wished she could turn into a human so they could hang out anywhere without getting into problems concerning size. He wanted to know her more, but then, he knew it was an unwritten taboo to have a relationship with a dragon. It was degrading, and could lead to permanent expulsion from the Royal Air Force. He tried to dismiss that thought and went to sleep.

The next morning, he woke up with the sound of wave crashing in the shore. It was like a perfect getaway for him. As he walked out, he saw Selana conversing with Ramin, who talked at length about dragons and culture at large. He was clearly fascinated that there were other dragons in the world, and was especially interested on how they coexisted with humans and worked alongside them in many ways. They were interrupted by Illyana and Petra, who walked towards them and said that breakfast was ready. They all converged in Nicholas’s tent and talked about the world beyond the island, and Illyana’s kingdom.

Nicholas explained many things, about how dragons were no longer worshipped or feared, as they learned to coexist with humans and even grew with them. As a man born into a family with respectable military background, he was expected to join the military when his age was right. Nicholas, however, was the first in the family to join the recent Royal Air Force, formed by a group of early dragon riders led by Jonathan Pilfrey, one of the first person who befriended a dragon and flew into battle.

His family was supportive in his passion, especially when he met with Selana’s mother, who was his father’s friend’s dragon partner. She trusted Selana’s egg to him, who was then 12 years old. She grew faster than he was, and by the time he was 34, she had grown many times his size. They were inseparable, and were crucial in the Air Force.

Then Ramin and Illyana explained their marriage to Nicholas, which was surprising, as they clearly came from different races. Yet, he believed that it was possible, given how Ramin had a human form that could give Illyana a child. Selana was more intrigued with Ramin’s ashborn heritage, and how he broke tradition by falling in love with his supposed victim, and found an alternative to the grisly way to find a newborn. They talked and talked until it was time for Illyana to clean the food and the rest to talk for themselves.

Nicholas and Serana sat side by side, watching the shores, as Nicholas cleaned and sharpened his sword. They talked about many things, but then it came to the point where Nicholas expressed his dilemma about Petra.

“I’ve never known that a human-born child could be possible, and frankly, I am scared. You’ve known our kind, have you not? Do you know what kind of horror I faced when dealing with it?”

“I know it all too well,” said Selana. “An Ashborn who turned into a dragon for the first time experienced and shared the memories of their predecessors, and from there, it was either following their destiny, or running away from it, denying their monstrous past and prefer to die as the final carrier of their cursed blood. You’re not a unique case of a dragon who rejected their fate of becoming a maiden-burning monster, but falling in love with a human was something new, even for us.”

“I thought love has no boundaries,” said Ramin, confused. “Illya taught me that.”

“She was a princess from an eastern kingdom, no? They feared dragons, and even made a ritual sacrifice for your kind. They never thought a dragon could fall in love with a human. For us, however, it’s an unspoken taboo, even if you can turn into a human.”

“And why so?”

“Just remember what you are, and you will realize how a beast and human’s relationship cannot normally work. No Ashborns fall in love with a human woman, even if they rejected their fate like you do. You’re fortunate to find a human who understands your peril, and tried her best to help you becoming more human, and accepted you of what you are. But still, I thought you are supposed to have a marriage vow?”

“We returned to her kingdom and declared our vows to each other. Many protested the fact that we were together, which was apparently because of the reason you told me. Her father, however, was ready to bless our marriage, but in turn, she would be exiled from the royal court and became a commoner. Nobody wanted a dragon to become an heir to a snow-covered kingdom, but they do not protest our betrothal.”

“It’s for your best, Ramin, and trust me, that’s the only good way to justify your bond to her. Still—.”

She perked her head up, with Ramin also feeling it. There was something in the air that caused them to become aware.

“So, you’ve noticed?” said Selana with a growl.

“Who are your enemies, Selana?” he said. “This is so unnatural and sickening.”

“A dark future.” She turned towards her rider and told him of the situation. He then pulled out his sword and nodded. He then called Illyana and Petra.

“Find a place to hide until it passes,” said Nicholas. “It’s not safe here.”

“Is your enemy near?” asked Illyana.

“Both friend and foe.” Selana turned to Ramin. “Ramin, I want you to protect them at any cost. Don’t engage in a fight and don’t try to help us. Just protect them.”

Ramin nodded, and, after undressing, turned into a dragon with a spark of fire. He looked at the rider-dragon duo, then back to Illyana and Petra.

“Climb on my back,” said Ramin. Both did so, and, while opening his wings, he turned towards Selana and said, “It’s a short meeting, but I’m glad to have met you.”

“Likewise,” replied Selana. “Wish us luck, and we’ll meet again.”

Both dragons nodded to each other while Nicholas shouted, “For the king!” as Selana beat her wings to fly. Ramin was surprised by how fast Selana flew. It was as if she was trained to quickly take-off in case of emergencies. Selana’s roar echoed through the shoreline as Ramin and his family reached a safe haven on the top of the ancient dragon’s skull’s jaw. He stayed dragon and looked around to see the fight happening.

He could see fire and ice flying on the sky, and dragons fighting each other while roaring, vaguely heard by the island inhabitants. Ramin wanted to see up close, but Illyana, apparently reading his thoughts, pulled his tail and said, “No, Ramin. They are not some scared peasants. They are trained soldiers.”

“But I am a dragon. I can at least fight.”

“And you’re fighting dragons trained to fight in the military. Stay with us, please.”

Ramin knew that it was suicidal to get mixed up in a conflict, so he obliged and stay alert to anyone trying to attack them from the air.

Meanwhile, both Nicholas and Selana ripped through the enemy’s air force with ease. They were both in sync with each other, with Nicholas trusting Selana to catch him every time he jumped onto an enemy’s dragon’s back and engaged in a sword fight with their riders. It was an intense fight on top of a dragon’s back, with them trying their best to balance their footing while their dragons were fighting. Sometimes, they even fell off the dragon’s back, but they kept fighting in the air until they separated and landed on their dragon’s back. Fortunately for Nicholas, he was known as someone who took extreme risks to win. He may not have magical knowledge, but he knew death-defying stunts.

Nicholas ran the length of Selana’s back and jumped near her neck. He was risking it and only trust his dragon to catch him. His enemy was a dragon who was caught unaware by this risky stunt. Nicholas’s acrobatic stunt made him able to twist in the air and, with a well-place slice, cut the enemy dragon’s neck, causing it to draw blood. With a croaked and gargled roar, the dragon became limp and died, as the rider tried, in vain, to grab Nicholas and drag him down with him. Nicholas’s fast reaction enabled him to kick the rider while grabbed on Selana’s neck. They looked as the enemy’s rider and dragon both fall to their deaths.

He sighed in relief as a dragon rider flew beside him, confronting him on the dangerous stunt.

“Goddamn it, Nicholas! You could get yourself bloody killed!” he exclaimed. “Don’t be a show-off and try value your life more!”

“I know what I’m doing, Eustace! Don’t worry about me and try to worry about yourself!”

Eustace looked as Nicholas and Selana dived down to fight against the ships. The human only said, “That bastard’s fucked up. Does he have a death wish or something?”

“At least he’s doing his work,” said his dragon. “Look at how he danced in the air with Sel.”

“I don’t want him to die that easily. He’s one of our top fighters.”

As he said so, Nicholas and Selana dived down and looked at the enemy’s ship. They were reinforced with metal and covered with anti-fire coating to deter fire-breathing dragons to burn down their ships. It was even made worse by the fact that their ships were both powered by wind and by pedals, which would mean they could protect their sails from any sail-damaging strategies that could incapacitate them. This was a mutual strategic importance, however, as Nicholas’s side also had similar technology, and the combat happened both on air and sea. Ships engaged in naval combat, with cannons flying in the air, both to combat dragons and to fight opposing ships. It was a chaotic combat in the middle of nowhere, near a dragon’s skull island.

Nicholas trained as both a Boarder and Aerial Assault, in which he was both skilled in boarding a ship and sabotaging it, and fighting against enemy dragon riders on the air. The enemy had similar soldiers with such specialties, too, and the ships’ crew were trained to fight against invasion such as Nicholas and his fellow riders, who jumped down from the back of Selana to a ship under him, cutting down someone unlucky enough to be under him.

He looked around to see the crew had been drawn towards him. He was a good distraction, not only because of his quite open method of combat, but also his skills. He was known among his friends to be the deadliest combatant, both on foot and on a dragon’s back.

Without waiting for anyone to get ready, he drew his sword and, with a flowing attack, moved among his attackers, as if dancing between them. He cut them down like paper, and trying not to lose his momentum, was trying his best to get to the helm. That was when things did not go as he hoped to be, when another dragon rider stood in front of him and pointed his sword towards him.

“I suppose this is inevitable,” said Nicholas while preparing to strike. He quickly did the same maneuver to surprise his enemy, but his opposition was ready to defend and counter. They both fought furiously with insane sword abilities that left others in awe. That was when he was surprised by a cannon directly behind the opposing rider, which blew towards him. He could move away right before it hit him, but then all hell broke loose as the cannon destroyed part of the ship.

“Are you fucking mental?!” exclaimed Nicholas. “Who the fuck blow their own ship?!”

Of course, despite of all fireproofing that was there, the ship could not withstand an impact on its deck. The enemy rider was also berating the cannoneer for such desperate attempt, which cost them a good standing. That was the moment when the other Boarders started jumping down their dragons and attacked the ship’s top deck. The whole situation was a frantic chaos that went out of hand sooner than everyone think. The ship started to sink as opposing ships rammed the ship the Boarders were on.

As Nicholas clashed sword with his opponent, he noticed everything falling apart. He turned towards his enemy and said, “I suppose we could save ourselves and fight in the air. What do you think.”

“Not a bad idea, Englishman,” said his opponent with a foreign accent. They quickly broke their clash and signaled their dragons to get away from the rapidly sinking ship. Selana quickly scooped Nicholas away, as do the opponent. They resumed their clash midair, but then, something very unexpected came down towards them.

There was someone shouting ‘Sky pirates!’ on top of his lungs. Both riders turned to the source of the voice as a fireball engulfed him and his dragon, burning the rider and throwing the dragon down to the sea. Nicholas and his opponent looked as a giant four-legged dragon, with a ship on top of it, was flown near them. The opponents knew that pirates were such a problem both on land and sea that there were something of an unofficial truce between the two opposing nations.

“We can fight against each other, or we group up and kill the bastards. What do you say, Frenchman?” said Nicholas to his opponent.

“Oui, monsieur,” replied the French rider. They turned towards the giant dragon, with all the marauders on its back, as both dragons look at it in both awe and horror. It was many times bigger than them, and was clearly something to fear for. But then, Selana and the French dragon exchanged looks, with Selana saying, “I don’t know French, but let’s be allies for now.”

“I agree,” said the male French dragon. They both roared in unison, with Nicholas and the French rider yelled ‘For the king!’ in their respective language.

They both flew towards the dragon, without fear, and certainly without regards of death. Such was the chaotic final chapter of the British-French War of the 16th century, which took a different turn from any historical counterparts. In fact, it was a non-existent War, as dragons were involved, and pirates terrorized both sky and sea. For Illyana and Ramin, it was nothing like their peaceful kingdom, or even the island the had lived in for many years. The Russians, while faced with bloodied war in itself, did not have dragons by their sides, and it was considered mild in the eyes of both warring nations.

There was no telling how it would end, but it was clear that, as a treaty was signed that night, both sides, who survived the war and finally banded together to the ‘fortunate’ arrival of the sky pirates, were glad that it was finally over, and the two nations could declare peace towards each other. The message came through as soon as peace was declared, and both sides were so relieved with it. None was more relieved, however, than the dragons and their riders. Unlike the ships, which were both drawn back to their own nations for another operations, the Air Force of both nations converged on the dragon’s skull island in the peace that followed. They acquainted with each other, exchanged words, and even play with each other as if friends, which they were.

Nicholas and Selana were introduced to Jacques and Orlos, the dragon-rider duo that had been their rivals in that conflict. They talked about France and England, and they laughed with each other’s joke. It was when Illyana and Ramin, along with Petra, who came and tried to understand the party near their home, made them both introduced themselves to the family.

“Pardon the intrusion, Illyana, Ramin,” said Nicholas. “We’ve finally found peace between our nations’ selfish bid for conquest.”

“Is it that bad?” asked Illyana.

“In your perspective, it might,” said Jacques. “Don’t worry about it. It’s pure coincidence that we happen upon this island. After tonight, we will fly away, and we will bother you no more.”

“What if more of those pirates came? We’ve never gotten something like this for many years,” said Ramin. “What will happen to us?”

“The world might’ve changed, but let us be clear. Among us, we will protect this island from sky pirates. Just the four of us.”

“Is it enough, though?”

“Enough to deter attackers. Nevertheless, we thank you for the hospitality,” said Nicholas. “And thank you, for helping us survive the night to witness the peace happening. Would you like to come for a dance and sing?”

“Thank you, but Petra needs her sleep,” said Illyana. “Come, Petra.”

The two returned back uphill as Ramin, still in his dragon form, watched them leave. He conversed with both Nicholas and Jacques about their lives, and the life beyond the war. They just wished it lasted long enough for them to have newer generations, but what happened next, both would not know.

The next morning, as Illyana and Ramin woke up, the combined Air Force was gone, as if without any trace. They thought the last two days were just a dream when they saw many chests containing supplies and food for many days, even months. There was a parchment attached on one of the chests, saying ‘Courtesy of both RAFs. Thank you.”

Illyana smiled, looked towards the vast sea, and said, “The world is bigger than we thought.”

“It is. Do you think we could…”

Illyana smiled. “Well, we could. But you’ll fly for the three of us.

And thus ended a brief, but eye-opening, experience, between the islanders and the guests, with a revelation of a bigger world to explore and see. But what’s the continuation of the tale, you ask? Well...let’s return back next time, shall we? For now, the story ends here.