Hey, people! This is the sequel to the story "Dragon's Gift" so if you've already read that story, you'll know what you need to...if you haven't read the original, please do so...I hope you all love this story as much as you all did "Dragon's Gift"...

Chapter #1 - Xaria

Xaria was seventeen. Though she looked like other women of her age in the town below, she was not like them. If she had been a normal young woman she would already be married off but she was not at the age for courting quite yet, nor would she be for nearly fifteen more years. She was a half dragon - a drakoon - and though they aged similarly to humans in their childhoods', the dragon blood within her made her mature more slowly in other ways.

For the past few days she had become rather bored. Her little brother, Ginfe, had gone to see their grandfather. She did not know exactly why she and her parents had not gone along but she wanted him back soon. She was used to him hanging around her every minute and his company was sorely missed, even if he was a bother sometimes. Though she was supposed to either be practicing her flute or magic, she had no desire to do them or even play some silly game on this wonderful late spring day.

Finally getting up from the large rock on the edge of the flower field, she walked to the stream and headed up the mountain to the waterfalls. Her waist long white hair, which was back in a braid, bobbed as she hurried up the slope, a smile on her face. She always loved spying on her parents, and trying not to get caught was the best part. She stopped when she got to the lower fall and then peeked over the top. Across the small lake, entwined in each other's arms, were he parents. She giggled.

"Xaria," came her father's rather stern, warning voice.

With a squeal of surprise from getting caught so quickly, she ducked away and hurried back down to the flower field where she had been told to stay about an hour earlier. She sat back on top of the boulder beneath the oak tree, kicking her feet. After a while, she stood up and grabbed hold of the low hanging branch, pulling herself up into the tree. Her nearly ankle length blue dress did not interfere with this, though, because she was used to climbing trees in dresses. She climbed up to the highest branch she knew would hold her weight and put her legs on either side of it then leaned back against the trunk.

It was about an hour later when she saw her parents nearing the flowers below. Her mother, her wet hair up in a loose braid, sat in the middle of the field, her drawing pad on her lap. Her father came to the tree, though, leaning against the trunk with his shoulder so he would not bother his wings.

"What troubles you, Daughter?" He was not looking up at her. "Tell me."

"I'm bored. That's what's wrong."

"You have plenty you're supposed to be doing."

"I don't want to do any of it."

"Why?"

Xaria paused for a moment, not really wanting to admit it. "Because Ginfe is not here."

"You miss your brother?"

"Yes." She looked down at her father, he was playing with his feathery soft, white goatee, which usually meant he was thinking about something. "Why couldn't I go with him?"

"You don't know?" Her father chuckled slightly, but still did not look up at her. "Do you not remember that your grandmother came for you when you turned ten as well?"

It was then that it dawned on her. Her grandmother had taken her...to start her magical training. It was a tradition for one's grandparents to start your training in the magical arts when you were old enough, for full- blooded dragons it was thirty, but for drakoons it was ten. She looked off to the northwest, the direction of the Mansion of Clouds, the home of the royal family of the cloud dragons. She said nothing for a while.

"Do you understand now?"

"Yes, Father."

"He will be back in a few days." He finally looked up at her. "For now, come down. I want you to practice your flute."

"Alright." She stood up on the branch then jumped down, landing on her feet with the grace of a cat. She conjured her flute with a few hand motions and a few words then looked at her father, who still stood against trunk, stroking his goatee again as he watched her. "What do you wish me to play?"

"Whatever you desire to. Something to lift your spirits, though, preferably."

Xaria nodded and put the flute to her lips. She did not play for a moment, but then a soft tune began to fill the air. It was one of the songs her mother liked, the one she said reminded her of a gentle spring rain.

Her father pushed himself off of the tree trunk and walked past her towards her mother, patting his daughter on the shoulder as he went. He sat down beside his wife and looked at the drawing she was doing. As always, her picture was a perfect likeness to the flower she was drawing. Aeslynn was humming along with the tune her daughter was playing.

After a few minutes, Lonryo looked back over at his daughter, whose eyes were closed as she played. She was even dancing a little now. He knew that playing the flute always took her mind off everything else. She had so often gone off to play her flute rather than practice her magic, that he had decided to teach her to start doing magic with the songs she played, which she rather enjoyed doing and she had become more proficient at that than doing magic any other way.

When the song was over, Xaria opened her eyes and smiled at her father. "I do feel better now."

"Then, perhaps," he said, grinning, "you can practice that spell I told you to study this morning."

Xaria groaned, but there was no getting away from it now. She nodded in agreement then walked to the boulder sulkily. She picked up the spellbook, which had been beside the rock the whole time, and sat down, studying the spell.