The Cure

"What do you mean? Risk the book?" I ask looking at him in disbelief. 

"The book is my curse," the dragon prince says. "As long as it exists I will die, slowly but surely. So your choice is this: let me destroy the book or let me die and let your family die with me." 

I look at him and then at the lava we're floating on. "How long do I have to decide? The book tells my family history, I was curious to know it."

"Naturally," he says politely, "you will have time to decide. Think about this though: do you want to learn the history but die or create a history to remember. "

I start to say a response but am jolted back into the room I fell asleep in. I look at the small prince laying beside me and get up. The dress I'm wearing is twisted and I look at my shoes on the floor. I slip them on and reach up to the pentacle around my neck. Pressing it and turning it the other way I'm teleported back into my home. 

I shake my head to try and straighten my thoughts out and walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I see the book laying on my dresser and shake my head at it. 

I start to sing my favorite song and Issy walks into the bathroom. "C-can I take a shower?" She asks nervously. 

"Of course Issy, you know you don't have to ask," I say looking at her worried. 

She starts fiddling with her hair and whispers, "I just wanted to make sure." 

I look at how greasy her hair is, "Did they not wash you at the hospital?"

She shakes her head no and points to the shower, "May I?"

"Of course," I say finishing up and leaving the room. 

As I walk into the livingroom I hear the shower start and Issy's voice singing her favorite song. 

I smile unknowingly while thinking about what the little prince may look like in human form. He's probably handsome, tall, with dark hair, and beautiful brown eyes that sparkle with light green and blue, I pull out my drawing book and sketch a picture of what he may look like. 

~~~♡~~~

I smile as I watch a small bird peck at the grass outside my front window. Issy walks out of the bathroom and looks over at me while towl drying her hair still. 

I sigh and say, "I'm sorry that happened to you."

She looks down and says, "It's not your fault." 

"The book is gonna be destroyed soon so don't worry."

She jumps up and grabs it, "ARE YOU CRAZY?" I look at her surprised, "THIS BOOK HOLDS YOUR ENTIRE HISTORY AND THE EXPLANATION OF WHAT  HAPPENED TO ME," she screams getting in my face. 

"I don't want anyone hurt again," I say starting to get scared of what she's gonna do. 

"You think I do?" She says sadly. "I just want to know what was going on while I was in that coma." 

I look at her amazed, "You don't remember?"

"No," she says looking at me strange.

I begin to tell her everything that happened since she got burnt. 

~~~♡~~~

Issy sits quietly after I finished telling her about everything. "How do we destroy the book?" She asks. 

"I'm supposed to let the dragon prince destroy it," I say looking at the book now sitting on the coffee table. 

"I want to be there when he destroys it," she looks at me. "It did all of that to me, so I want to watch it be destroyed."

I think for a minute and say, "Grab my arm." She looks at me weird but does. I reach to the pentacle and turn it. We're both taken to the bedroom I have always been taken to. 

I take her over to the closet with the dresses and have her pick out one. We both get dressed and begin to walk down stairs. I take her to the prince's room and open the door.

"Prince?" I say walking over to where he lay on the pillow. I touch his head and realize he's sleeping. I climb onto the pillow with him after telling Issy to hold on.

I'm back on the pillow in the river of lava. "Prince?" I say seeing him sitting at the edge.

"I've missed you, Tallia," he says looking over to me.

"I've brought the book to be destroyed," I say, "but there's someone who has been burnt by the book here to watch it destroyed." 

The prince looks at me with wide eyes, "Did you cure this person with the flower girls?"

I giggle at the way he said flower girls, "Yes I did. The book is the only way I knew what to do."

"Good. Good, you have to wake me up before I can destroy it."

"How do I wake you up?"

"This is going to sound cliché but," he laughs then continues, "you have to kiss me."

I nod in understanding and force myself to wake up.

I look at Issy and smile. "Are you ready to see him destroy it?"

Issy nods and sits in a chair by the door. I look at the little prince and lightly lift his head with a finger. I lean down and kiss him, he instantly awakens.

"Hello, little prince," I say.

He nods and looks at the book. I ask, "Where do you want to destroy it?"

"På gården, bredvid en staty av en man med eld på hans fot," he says. I nod and Issy looks from me to him strangely.  "Är det här en som ville titta på?"

"Yes, that's Issy. My best friend and the one whom was burnt."

He nods and says, "Låt oss gå nu. Innan jag inte kan röra sig alls."

I pick him up and motion for Issy to follow me as we go to the door. I remember I don't know my way out of the castle and ask, "Prince, can you show me the way to the courtyard?"

He nods and lightly points a claw towards the stairs I came from. I go to the stairs and start down them until we reach the next floor down and he points to giant double doors. I go to them and push one open with my back.

I look around the courtyard and ask, "Where is the statue?" 

He says, "I centrum, följ sten stig."

I do as he says and reach the statue he described. I set the book where he had said and I look around for somewhere to put him. "Where do I put you, little prince?"

"Du måste hålla mig så jag inte missar boken." I nod and lift his head to be level with the book.