Tears of the Dragon
The song itself hits home in so many ways for both my partner @FlameAndSong and myself.
So this is dedicated to him with all my everlasting love.
We have told our story many times, this time I wanted to present it in a different way.
So this is dedicated to him with all my everlasting love.
We have told our story many times, this time I wanted to present it in a different way.
I remember the cold first.
That kind of silence that gets inside your chest and stays there. The lake was frozen solid, and I could see the past beneath it, faces, memories, mistakes, all pressed in the ice like fossils. I stood there with my hands in my pockets, staring down at them, wondering how long I’d been frozen too. I’d built my walls high. Thought they’d keep me safe. But they only kept the warmth out.
That’s when I saw the light.
Faint, golden, flickering from inside a mirror framed in frost. I moved closer, not sure why, not sure if it was real.
And there you were. Fin.
Your hand reached toward mine through the glass. The moment our fingertips met, the frost cracked.
I didn’t realize until then how long I’d gone without feeling anything.
The world changed after that.
I walked down a corridor lit by candles, hundreds of them, stretching into forever.
I could see you at the far end, walking toward me.
With every step, the candles flared brighter, teal and violet, like stormlight and calm mixed together.
When we met in the center, everything else disappeared.
The walls. The cold. The distance.
Only you were real.
We found ourselves by the sea next.
Dusk light on the waves, the water glowing like it had a heartbeat.
You stood across the tide, wind in your hair, eyes the color of dawn.
For a moment, I was scared the waves would pull you away.
But when our hands touched, the ocean turned to light, and the fear went with it.
Then came the dragon.
It was waiting on the cliffs, wings like thunderclouds, eyes like galaxies.
I should have been terrified. But when I reached out, it lowered its head, and I saw your reflection in its eye.
It wasn’t a monster. It was us, all the strength we’d been afraid to claim.
When I touched it, its scales shimmered violet and gold, and for the first time, I didn’t feel small.
Later, a feather drifted from the sky, glowing, alive.
It landed in my hand, then melted into a single tear that slid through my fingers.
It hit the ground, and the frost melted around my boots.
Behind me, your shadow brightened until it became light.
I realized then that every wall I’d built was finally breaking.
When the dragon rose again, we climbed onto its back.
The world fell away beneath us, storms, sorrow, everything.
You held on to me, the wind roaring around us, sunrise ahead.
The dragon’s wings tore through the darkness, scattering snow and shadow into gold.
It felt like flying for the first time, and this time, I didn’t want to land.
But we did.
In a meadow at dawn, soft and warm and alive.
The dragon faded into mist, and the air smelled like spring rain.
You took my hand, and the world felt… right.
Whole.
I looked at you and realized
I hadn’t been chasing light.
I’d been chasing you.
And somewhere along the way, you’d taught me how to melt the ice and feel the warmth again.
So when the wind lifted the last of the mist, I whispered to it:
"The walls I built are crumbling."
And for the first time in years
I didn’t mind.
That kind of silence that gets inside your chest and stays there. The lake was frozen solid, and I could see the past beneath it, faces, memories, mistakes, all pressed in the ice like fossils. I stood there with my hands in my pockets, staring down at them, wondering how long I’d been frozen too. I’d built my walls high. Thought they’d keep me safe. But they only kept the warmth out.
That’s when I saw the light.
Faint, golden, flickering from inside a mirror framed in frost. I moved closer, not sure why, not sure if it was real.
And there you were. Fin.
Your hand reached toward mine through the glass. The moment our fingertips met, the frost cracked.
I didn’t realize until then how long I’d gone without feeling anything.
The world changed after that.
I walked down a corridor lit by candles, hundreds of them, stretching into forever.
I could see you at the far end, walking toward me.
With every step, the candles flared brighter, teal and violet, like stormlight and calm mixed together.
When we met in the center, everything else disappeared.
The walls. The cold. The distance.
Only you were real.
We found ourselves by the sea next.
Dusk light on the waves, the water glowing like it had a heartbeat.
You stood across the tide, wind in your hair, eyes the color of dawn.
For a moment, I was scared the waves would pull you away.
But when our hands touched, the ocean turned to light, and the fear went with it.
Then came the dragon.
It was waiting on the cliffs, wings like thunderclouds, eyes like galaxies.
I should have been terrified. But when I reached out, it lowered its head, and I saw your reflection in its eye.
It wasn’t a monster. It was us, all the strength we’d been afraid to claim.
When I touched it, its scales shimmered violet and gold, and for the first time, I didn’t feel small.
Later, a feather drifted from the sky, glowing, alive.
It landed in my hand, then melted into a single tear that slid through my fingers.
It hit the ground, and the frost melted around my boots.
Behind me, your shadow brightened until it became light.
I realized then that every wall I’d built was finally breaking.
When the dragon rose again, we climbed onto its back.
The world fell away beneath us, storms, sorrow, everything.
You held on to me, the wind roaring around us, sunrise ahead.
The dragon’s wings tore through the darkness, scattering snow and shadow into gold.
It felt like flying for the first time, and this time, I didn’t want to land.
But we did.
In a meadow at dawn, soft and warm and alive.
The dragon faded into mist, and the air smelled like spring rain.
You took my hand, and the world felt… right.
Whole.
I looked at you and realized
I hadn’t been chasing light.
I’d been chasing you.
And somewhere along the way, you’d taught me how to melt the ice and feel the warmth again.
So when the wind lifted the last of the mist, I whispered to it:
"The walls I built are crumbling."
And for the first time in years
I didn’t mind.
For too long now, there were secrets in my mind
For too long now, there were things I should have said
In the darkness, I was stumbling for the door
To find a reason, to find the time, the place, the hour
Waiting for the winter sun and the cold light of day
The misty ghosts of childhood fears
The pressure is building and I can’t stay away.
I throw myself into the sea
Release the wave
Let it wash over me
To face the fear I once believed
The tears of the dragon for you and for me
Where I was, I had wings that couldn’t fly
Where I was, I had tears I couldn’t cry
My emotions, frozen in an iced lake
I couldn’t feel them until the ice began to break
I have no power over this, you know I’m afraid
The walls I built are crumbling, the water is moving,
I’m slipping away.
I throw myself into the sea
Release the wave, let it wash over me
To face the fear I once believed
The tears of the dragon for you and for me
Slowly I awake, slowly I rise
The walls I built are crumbling,
The water is moving,
I’m slipping away.
I throw myself into the sea
Release the wave, let it wash over me
To face the fear I once believed
The tears of the dragon for you and for me
I throw myself into the sea
Release the wave, let it wash over me
To face the fear I once believed
The tears of the dragon for you and for me
-Bruce Dickinson
For too long now, there were things I should have said
In the darkness, I was stumbling for the door
To find a reason, to find the time, the place, the hour
Waiting for the winter sun and the cold light of day
The misty ghosts of childhood fears
The pressure is building and I can’t stay away.
I throw myself into the sea
Release the wave
Let it wash over me
To face the fear I once believed
The tears of the dragon for you and for me
Where I was, I had wings that couldn’t fly
Where I was, I had tears I couldn’t cry
My emotions, frozen in an iced lake
I couldn’t feel them until the ice began to break
I have no power over this, you know I’m afraid
The walls I built are crumbling, the water is moving,
I’m slipping away.
I throw myself into the sea
Release the wave, let it wash over me
To face the fear I once believed
The tears of the dragon for you and for me
Slowly I awake, slowly I rise
The walls I built are crumbling,
The water is moving,
I’m slipping away.
I throw myself into the sea
Release the wave, let it wash over me
To face the fear I once believed
The tears of the dragon for you and for me
I throw myself into the sea
Release the wave, let it wash over me
To face the fear I once believed
The tears of the dragon for you and for me
-Bruce Dickinson
