A Touch of Morning By Phillip McSween He was only a boy.

Sure he was a boy with Universal, but he was still a boy nonetheless. His father couldnt deny him that. The more he overexerts himself, the quicker the disease will spread, the doctors had said. The father knew this, knew of all the dangers that came with the incurable disease, but he refused to let his son grow up sheltered. The way he saw it, if it was likely that his son wouldnt live into adulthood anyway, he might as well enjoy the time he had while he had it. As the father watched his son play on the castle grounds with Princess Dina, happy and carefree, the father knew he had made the right decision. Had Quarsha still been alive, she would have supported his decision. After all, Elijah was only a boy. Elijah took a seat on the grass beside the princess, his best friend in the entire world. He loved spending time with her when she wasnt busy with castle affairs as she called them. He loved when she laughed and smiled. He loved making her laugh and smile. She was always so nice to him, especially when she didnt have to be. Most of the other people in the castle didnt think they had to be nice to him because he was the son of a baker. As long as the princess was nice, he didnt care. She thumbed through a picture book that she had brought along, pointing out special things she had seen in person during her many visits all over the world. Her yellow eyes lit up when she came across something in particular. The morning flower! she gasped.

Whats so special about it? Elijah stared at the flower. It looked like a tulip with black petals. Its so beautiful and rare! Theres no other flower like it in the world! Where are they? In the Frozen Forest, Dina spoke barely above a whisper. They call it the Frozen Forest because theres a dragon that lives there who can freeze you if you look into its eyes. At least thats what the stories say. Many have tried to go into the Frozen Forest, but none have come out. Heres the map, she turned the page. She pointed with a tiny finger as she spoke. This is where we are and this is where the forest is. Its kind of scary to think that a creature like that is so close! Yes, Elijah looked on in wonder. If someone were to get me one of those flowers, they would be my best friend forever! Princess Dina! one of the guards called from the edge of the meadow. Your mother is calling for you! I have to go, Dina got to her feet reluctantly. Elijah had expected their time to be cut short. It always was. In fact, he was surprised he had gotten to play with her for this long. Her mother was always calling her for royal business purposes. Dina hated it and so did he. How much did an eight-year-old need to focus on royal business anyway? Sometimes he thought the Queen just didnt like him Elijah? Dina turned back to him after she had already started off. Yes? he stood up.

Im really glad were friends. Her smile warmed his heart. It was the most beautiful smile in the world. Im really glad were friends too, he smiled back. He tried to call after her to tell her that she had forgotten her book, but she didnt hear him. There it was on the ground still open to the map leading into the Frozen Forest. An idea suddenly came to his mind. That night after his father had read him a traditional bedtime story, Elijah had an important question. Father, if you had a chance to do something special for someone really closelike a good friendwould you do it? Even if it was dangerous? It depends on who the friend was, his father responded, but there is a good chance that I probably would. Friends are very special and they should be treated as such. Keeping good friends is just as important as making them. He ruffled Elijahs green hair then kissed him on the forehead. Get some rest. He snuffed out the candle beside the bed and left the room. Had his father been paying attention, he would have noticed that Elijah was still fully dressed underneath the covers in the clothes he had worn that day. He waited until the castle was deathly still, grabbed the map he had torn from the book and the travel bag he had prepared, and crept off of the castle grounds as quietly as possible. At first he thought he was going to get caught, but no one seemed to notice his escape. He followed the map boldly through the night with no candle or torch to light his way. The noises from the surrounding woods frightened him, but he kept his mind focused on one thing: the morning flower and how happy Dina would be when he gave it to her.

By the afternoon of the next day, he reached a small town. His heart began to beat faster in his chest. According to the map, just outside of the town was the Frozen Forest. He had gone too far not to come back with a flower. He put on his hooded cloak so as not to be seen by the townspeople and kept moving. The Frozen Forest. There was something eerie about it that he couldnt explain. As he moved slowly and steadily between the trees, his legs felt as heavy as the oven his father cooked with. The occasional animal cry and bird call made him jump. He didnt want to pick up his pace in fear he be heard by the dragon. His clothes started to stick to him because of his sweat, despite the coolness within the forest. He removed his cloak and proceeded on into the growing darkness. The further he went, the more relaxed he became. There was no sign of any kind of dragon. He was starting to think it was just some tale to keep people away from the forest. As the long as the morning flower was real, he didnt care to see the dragon at all. Just as the night was settling in, he reached a grassy clearing where there was a break in the forest. Off to the left was a pond, but he didnt notice it. He was too busying eyeing the dark patch in the center of the clearing. A smile worked its way across his worn face. The morning flowers at last! He ran over to them as fast as his tiny legs would carry him and kneeled down next to them to get a closer look. They were exactly like the ones Dina had showed them in the book. Oh, she was going to be so happy to have one! In fact, he was going to get her more than one No sooner did he put his hands on one did he hear a grumbling coming from the other side of the forest. His breath caught in his throat. He didnt dare look up because he

knew what the sound was. It wasnt a tale afterall. The freezing dragon was just as real as the morning flowers. He didnt want to be frozen and eaten. He had just come for the flowers. He wanted to go home. Maybe if he didnt look up it wouldnt come after him. The ground shook as the beast took a step forward. Little Elijah wanted to cry. He was still determined to get what he came for. At least one A deafening roar sounded into the night when he picked up the flower causing him to jump back he was so startled. His head started pounding as the ground started shaking again. He shoved the flower into a special bag that no air could get in and placed that bag in his travel pack before taking off into a dead sprint back towards the side of the forest he had emerged through. An oncoming of flame that barely missed him made him turn and run right down the clearing. He could see the pond now. The dragon was dead on his heels. Elijah didnt want to be eaten He dove into the ponds waters, a wave of heat following right behind him. The water was surprisingly cold. He was thankful his father had taught him how to breathe underwater. He would stay under as long as he could hold out. His eyes closed, he went into the recesses of his mind and thought of Dina. Despite how busy she was, they at least got to spend a little bit of time together everyday. He wondered if she was worried about him. He wondered if she missed him. He had no doubt that his father did. He couldnt hold his breath any longer. The dragon was just going to have to fry him. He came up for air with a huge gasp. As he wiped the water from his face, he was surprised that he didnt hear any sound. He opened his eyes and screamed in horror when he saw the dragon staring dead at him with its large, pale blue eyes. He was about to dive

down again when he noticed that the dragon wasnt staring at him, but at the water. Whatever it saw must have been really interesting because it wasnt moving at all. It just stood there stone still. Elijah used the opportunity to escape, running back into the forest from where he had come. The dragon didnt follow. Elijah was so excited as he raced among the trees, ecstatic about the gift he had managed to get. He couldnt wait to see the look on Dinas face when he gave it to her. They were going to be best friends forever. Fatigue overtook him when he reached the village beyond the forest. He wasnt surprised, though, as he had run all the way through the woods just to make sure he would be safe. He decided to stop for a rest. He had almost fallen asleep on the grass just outside of the village when a woman introducing herself as Dina invited him into her home. Though she looked a bit strange, Elijah decided the woman couldnt be mean if she had the same name as his best friend and he followed behind her. When he entered her one-room home, he was a little nervous to see bones and weird things in jars all over her shelves. Even after she explained that she was a medicine woman, it didnt ease his tension much. They had to sit on the floor since there were no chairs. Where are you from? she asked, her voice gentle and kind. The Castle, Elijah responded. The medicine womans golden eyes grew big. You seem to be a long way from home, little one? What brings you so far? He was a little nervous about telling her his business, but he guessed she meant no harm. I had to go into the Frozen Forest so I could get a morning flower.

I see. The woman took a pause, then said, So, I take it you have Universal then? When he asked in disbelief how she couldve known such a thing, she responded, Well, thats what you needed the morning flower for, right? A cure. But the doctors said there was no cure. Of course they did. They know about it, theyre just too scared to walk into that Frozen Forest and get it. Everyone seems to be, except you that is, she smiled revealing crooked teeth then her face became serious once more. So did you manage to succeed? her eyes shone in the dim light of the candles on the shelves. Elijah instinctively clutched his bag to his chest. Y-yes, but its not fo I can show you how it works, she reached for him. Elijah darted from the house holding the bag as if his very life depended on it. He hoped the woman wasnt following him. He was pretty sure he could outrun her at full strength but he was very tired now. The journey had worn him down. He couldnt believe the flower was the cure. His father had told him that he would have Universal for the rest of his life. Now he had the chance to finally get rid of it and be a regular boy. But he had worked so hard to get the flower for Dina. He didnt want to let her down. He wanted to be her best friend for life. She was so sweet and nice. Then again, he knew she would understand if he used the flower to cure himself. She was his friend. She had to understand. What was he going to do? The next morning, Elijahs father was awakened by one of the doctors. We found your son, the doctor said, his voice grave. He was passed out at the head of the

stairs just a few feet away from his room. The doctor averted his eyes. He hated giving news like this. Im afraid his condition has worseneda great deal. The father raced to his sons room his stomach churning. Seeing Elijah lying there cold and helpless, his frail body beneath the covers, the lonely fathers mind drifted back to when his wife had been on her death bed. What a heart-wrenching time that had been just as now. This cant be happening, he repeated over in his mind. Not again. The doctor came to him once more after four hours had passed. Sir, might I suggest you accompany me to the dining hall? he asked the father. The father looked taken aback as if he had just been insulted. There is no way I am cooking No no no, I meant to eat. You need to eat something. Im not leaving, the father said flatly. Sir, young Elijah is stable right now. We can probably keep him alive for another week with the necessary precautions, but hes going to need all the love he can get. He needs you and you need your strength. Come, just a bite? The father thought about it for a long moment, then reluctantly agreed. As he left, he couldnt help but wonder if Elijahs condition was his fault. He was the one that had let the boy play when the doctors had advised against it. Now, it seemed it had finally caught up to poor Elijah. Would his life have been better if he had just been forced to stay in the castle all day? Probably not, the father decided. In the end, the father didnt regret his choices one bit. Elijah was just a boy and boys needed their freedom in order to truly be boys. The father closed the door gently behind him.

No less than fifteen minutes later did that door open again. A distraught Princess Dina took the fathers place in the chair beside the bed. Beside her best friend. She had never seen him in such bad shape before. Tears streamed down her eyes. The morning flower pinned to her chest became a black blur. It had been waiting for her outside her door that morning. She knew who had gotten it for her. She hadnt found out until later the terrible price he had paid. Why did you have to do it? she asked between sobs. You didnt have to do it. I didnt need the flower. I didnt want you to get hurt! Im so sorry. I shouldnt have shown it to you. She laid her cheek gently against his forehead. Her eyes closed, she missed out on something very special. A brown trail of scent emitted from the flower, slowly easing its way towards Elijah. At that moment, Elijah took a deep breath and the scent trail split, wafting into both of his nostrils. It was the sweetest fragrance he had ever smelled in his life. It was like every good thing all rolled into one. Somehow it managed to touch his body from head to toe. He felt the pain fleeing his body. He was renewed. His eyes shot open with a gasp. The world returned. A better world. When she pulled back and saw his eyes, her own grew big. Youre awake! she smiled. How do you feel? Great, he responded groggily. The pain was gone, but the fatigue remained. Thank you for the flower, she noticed where his eyes were directed. Its so beautiful. I love it. Are we best friends now?

Dina took ahold of his hand. Elijah, we were best friends before and we will always be. They shared a long look that warmed them both up on the inside. Elijah was happy to have his friendhis best friendby his side. Dina was happy that Elijah was doing better. He was the only person that liked her for who she was and not because she was a princess. Elijah was a special person. A soft knock came at the oak door. A guard peeked his head in and said, Princess, Im sorry to interrupt, but youre needed. Dina looked at Elijah unsure of what to do. She didnt want to leave him. Its ok, Elijah said assuredly. Will you be back? Yes, she got to her feet. She unpinned the morning flower and placed it gently in the bowl of water Elijahs father had been using to keep Elijahs head cool. Ill be back for this. The door closed softly behind her. Elijah smiled up at the ceiling knowing that everything was alright with the world. Someday he would get bigger and stronger and he would be Dinas prince. Someday. His gaze turned to the morning flower resting in the bowlthe flower that had saved his life.