Page 2 of Ava’s Legacy of the Dragons (Of Dragons, Love, and Destiny #1)

Aloud rumbling and clattering echoed through the store, startling Ava. She tossed her pen onto the counter and rushed from behind it into the stockroom, where her aunt lay buried under a mountain of decorative flowers, vases, candle holders, and a ladder.

"Aunt Helen, what are you doing?"

Her elderly aunt groaned. Ava hurried to her and moved the ladder aside. Then she pushed away the decorations and helped her stand up.

"Are you hurt?"

"My backside hurts. It'll be black and blue tomorrow. But nobody's going to see it anyway." She made a dismissive gesture and placed a hand on her hip. She wasn't standing very steadily yet, but she emphatically freed herself from Ava's grip.

Shaking her head, Ava surveyed the chaos. Her chestnut brown hair fell into her face, so she quickly removed the hair tie from her wrist and tied the strands back into a messy bun. "Why did you even climb up the ladder?"

Her aunt brushed the glitter dust from her short gray curls, and it fell sparkling to the floor as if she were a fairy fluttering her wings.

In reality, she was a down-to-earth, robust lady with a special knack for decorating, which was why the business was booming.

"I wanted to redecorate the vases for the autumn festival. "

Typical. If there had been a prize for stubbornness, Aunt Helen would have been the one to receive it.

"You know I'm the one who gets the things from the top shelf. Just let me know."

Helen rolled her eyes demonstratively. "I'm seventy and might not be the youngest, but I'm not out of commission yet. I can't call on you for every little thing."

"Yes, you can, and you should. That's why I'm here. I don't want you to get hurt."

"But you shouldn't feel obligated to stay here. Once you finally start living your own life, things will have to work without you."

They had certainly already discussed this topic to death.

"You know I'll never abandon you!"

Her aunt's gaze took on a sad tinge. "You wouldn't be abandoning me by fulfilling yourself. You're a grown, beautiful woman. You can't spend the rest of your life in my shop. Go out into the world, find some adventure!"

They hadn't had this discussion in a long time, since lately Ava had managed to steer clear of it.

Of course she wanted to see the world, forge her own path, and do more than sort bills and decorations day in and day out.

But Helen had entered her life when no one else had been there for her—when she'd had nothing and no one in the world except her own skin, the necklace with the broken heart pendant, and the clothes on her back.

She had taken Ava in, even though no blood ties obligated her to do so, as if they really belonged to the same family.

Helen had made everything possible for her: a good school, warm meals, clean clothes.

And, when Ava was old enough, she'd given her a job in her gift and decoration shop.

Ava had been working there for about fifteen years now.

She avoided her aunt's gaze. "A life by your side is enough for me."

"But it's not enough for me!" She grabbed Ava by the wrists. Her grip was firm and unyielding, forcing Ava to look into her brown eyes. "Life won't wait for you forever."

"I have a beautiful life! I'm happy!" Ava freed herself from her grip just as decisively as Aunt Helen had done earlier, climbed the ladder, and retrieved the decorative branches with berries from the top shelf.

Helen followed her with her eyes, eyebrows raised skeptically.

She tapped her toe up and down as she did so.

"When was the last time you went out? When was the last time you had fun with people your own age?"

"You know I'm a loner." Ava pushed the decorations into her aunt's hands and collected the sunflowers and poppies scattered on the floor.

Most of it was still usable. They'd just have to sweep up the glitter dust. Since Ava should have swept the stockroom days ago but hadn't, the situation at least had one advantage: She'd only have to pick up the broom once this week.

"I like being by myself. I don't need anyone. "

Helen's shoulders sagged deeper, and she took a heavy breath before reaching for her hand again.

"But that doesn't make your soul dance. Listen to me.

You can't hide from life. You need other people, your own experiences, you need to finally set out and find your own path.

Who knows who you'll meet on this journey? New friends, maybe a partner..."

"I'm fine on my own."

"When was the last time you were in love?"

Ava was starting to lose her patience. "If you don't stop, I'll hide the ladder and put all the autumn decorations on the top shelf."

"You're incorrigible."

"Thank you." She firmly pushed Helen out of the stockroom before she got a chance to hurt herself any more.

Behind the sales counter, Ava immediately dove into the previous month's accounting, deliberately pounding loudly on the calculator keys and furrowing her brow in concentration so that her aunt wouldn't dare speak to her again.

Because even though Helen kept emphasizing that Ava could confidently leave the shop to her alone, she hated anything to do with bookkeeping.

When it was late afternoon, Ava finally looked up from her ledgers and a sea of red, orange, and yellow flooded her vision.

Her aunt had outdone herself yet again. All the large vases in the shop window were filled with autumn flowers, with red berries shining alongside ears of corn and colorfully tinted leaves.

There were woven wreaths adorned with ribbons, and floral arrangements towering on the sales shelves.

In between stood clay animal figures, pumpkins, and small gnomes, and there was also a wooden wheelbarrow decorated with sunflowers, apples, and pears.

"Wow, the shop window looks beautiful."

Helen dropped onto the chair behind the counter with a groan and wiped her flushed forehead. "Thank you. I love my work." She looked at her handiwork with satisfaction. When the shop bell rang shortly after, Ava motioned for her to stay seated.

"I'll take care of the customer." She approached the woman who was already rummaging through the flower arrangements and whose eyes sparkled as brightly as the autumn-colored beech leaves.

"This looks fantastic, as always. Helen is truly a master. How much are the arrangements with the sunflowers?"

Ava quoted her the prices and showed her all the beauties that her aunt had woven, arranged, and combined.

When the customer left the store half an hour later with a full bag and a satisfied smile, Helen's cheeks were still as red as the apples in the shop window.

All the same, she made to get up to make another autumn wreath.

Ava pushed her gently back onto the chair. "Lunch break. That means you stay seated for at least twenty minutes."

"Alright then." It was telling how quickly Helen gave in. She certainly was no spring chicken anymore. She looked at the large wall clock, which was shaped like a falling leaf. "My stomach's been growling for a few minutes. Do we have any sandwiches?"

Of course not, since it had been Ava's turn to make them.

She waved it off. "I'll get us lunch from Giovanni's. It's Wednesday, he always makes those delicious gnocchi with sage butter."

"Good idea. I'll take care of the shop in the meantime."

"No, you stay seated. We'll close up and hang the break sign on the door. Hardly anyone comes in during lunch anyway."

"But—"

Ava shook her head adamantly. "No buts, because you..." she said, pointing at her aunt, whose slumped posture betrayed her exhaustion, "are in desperate need of a break."

"Alright then." It was just because she was stubborn that Helen was reluctant to agree, and now she even visibly relaxed. Although she was an energetic and active person, she had realized that she needed to take a break here and there.

Ava grabbed her handbag and wrapped her large burgundy scarf around her neck, since the wind was already ushering in autumn. It was too cold to just go out in jeans and a thin sweater. "See you soon."

As soon as she found herself out beneath the open sky, she paused for a moment and took a deep, long breath.

Strictly speaking, she wasn't made to spend the whole day indoors.

She felt it every time she left the house or the shop.

But she usually didn't think about it, because otherwise the work would seem even more monotonous.

A bird flew over her and she followed it with her gaze. How free did it feel up there in the air? How boundless did the world appear? A longing tried to creep into her heart, but she pushed it aside.

She took out her hair tie and the chestnut-brown strands fell far over her shoulders.

She took a deep breath and walked down the alley to the popular Italian restaurant, which was already beckoning her with its delicious aromas.

Giovanni didn't need to put up any signs.

The scent from his kitchen was advertisement enough.

As she crossed the small bridge that led over the narrow river to his restaurant, a strange feeling shot through her chest. She paused in surprise. Her heart beat faster and an odd sensation of warmth spread in her stomach. It didn't feel bad, just unfamiliar.

"Help me."

Had someone called out to her?

Puzzled, she stopped, placed her hands on the metal railing, and looked along the river.

She knew the course of the river well, as she regularly walked along the bank to collect stones.

But all she saw were the pebbles, not anybody there who needed her help.

Except for the constant gurgling and foaming, there wasn't a sound to be heard.

She must have imagined the cry for help.

The water rushed through the city at its usual pace, dividing it in half to then disappear southward into the forest. Some crazy people claimed that the watercourse used to be the gateway to another world.

Smiling, she shook her head. As a young girl, she had soaked up such myths and prayed they might be true.

Back then, she had longed for completely different things.

Today she had come down to earth. Even if the desire for adventures like back then still smoldered in her heart, she would take care of Helen, just as Helen had about twenty years before when she had taken in Ava.

The warmth in her stomach grew stronger. Strange. It was definitely too early for hot flashes. She didn't even have children yet! Not that she wanted any... Still, the feeling was too strong to just be her imagination.

Something flashed in the distance. Frowning, she looked towards the riverbank, but she couldn't make out where the sparkle had come from.

Probably a piece of glass breaking the sunlight.

A stone couldn't be responsible for that.

And the warmth in her stomach was surely due to her hunger. As if to confirm, her stomach growled.

"Hey Ava, do you hear the wide world calling you?"

The old chimney sweep came along the bridge.

He was wearing the typical black uniform and black leather boots.

Although he was no longer in his prime, he loved the work that involved balancing on people's rooftops.

He leaned on the railing and followed her gaze to the river.

His gray hair had noticeably thinned, and the individual strands fluttered in the wind.

She waved it off. "I thought I saw something sparkle."

He nodded contentedly to himself, chewing on his tobacco as always. "Well, that's a start. You know, they say that long ago, there was much more land beyond the river. A vast world where fire and magic played a crucial role."

She was definitely too old for such children's stories and, more importantly, too hungry! "Sorry, I have to go. I'm on my way to Giovanni's. If I don't get back soon, Aunt Helen will be up on that ladder again."

He laughed huskily. "Then you'd better hurry. Not because of Helen, she does whatever she wants anyway, but because of Giovanni. The gnocchi with sage butter are almost sold out."

Her stomach grumbled indignantly. "Thanks for the tip. See you later." She nodded to him, and although her heart still whispered for her to go to the riverbank, she turned away from the rushing water and continued on her way.