The pirate ship tumbled through the galaxy. It was burning fast, and bleeding light through cracks in the mirror surfaced sails. Most of the pirates had abandoned her already, shooting off into space, cocooned in escape pods.

Constant spun on the deck and caught an orc’s sword swing on his DreamShield. The impact jarred his arm, but he didn’t hesitate, he stole the sword wielder’s life. Another pirate stepped up raising an axe. He battered aside the axe chop and took the orc pirate’s head off with a mighty counter attack. Constant faced his old friend and colleague again, breath coming hard, shield held ready for the charge he knew was on its way.

Folly Strangler growled, sounding like one of his orcs. ‘Not bad, Falter!’ the handsome man said, ‘but it won’t save your Faerie!’

‘You let her go, Folly!’

‘Never!’ Cried the pirate. ‘She don’t even have your ear no more. You banished her.’

‘Not to be taken by a damned pirate!’

Folly Strangler moved in. His sword sliced down and flicked up, swung around and down, then back up again – a perfect Butterfly Attack. Constant met it with The Grasshopper Farts Defense and flicked the blade afterwards, cutting Strangler’s cheek just to the side of his skull tattoo. The pirate’s head jerked back sharp. ‘The face, Constant? The face?’

‘Come on then, you ugly devil!’

Folly Strangler’s face shook with rage and his burning eyes glared with hate. ‘Don’t call me ugly,’ he roared. He leapt at Constant. The faerie trapped on the pirate’s enchanted belt screamed, a tiny sound that hurt the ears.

The pilot-less ship suddenly crashed into a moon and small explosions rocked through the hull. Crates went flying and smashing into walls. Piles of gold coin rained up, down and all over the place in a battle of wealthy hail. Folly Strangler was struck by a barrel of whiskey mid-leap and crashed to the floor in a wet heap. Constant got his head knocked about as he lost his footing and knelt down on one knee, dazed. Folly slurped up some whiskey from a puddle on the floor, and shook his head vigorously.

‘Arhg!’ the pirate cried. The faerie giggled and Constant staggered up. ‘I’d rather not slay you, Folly,’ he said, ‘us being friends at one time and all. But you let that faerie go.’

‘So ye banish the faerie but want none other to keep her.’

‘Not some pirate, nope. And not one I know.’

Folly considered the faerie at his belt then looked around his burning ship. It groaned and whined as the mast broke and pieces of wood, steel and glass came hurtling down. They danced and ducked out the way of the lethal debris for a bit, eyes locked on each other as they did. Folly pulled out an assassin’s crossbow and pointed it Constant. The bolt tip dripped poison.

‘Well,’ he said, as he backed towards an escape pod, ‘I can’t best you with the blade. And you got ‘em ninety-nine lives…’

The door to the pod gasped open. ‘Fine.’ The pirate said, sheathing his sword and putting away the crossbow. He made as if to reach for the faerie and free her, but instead he jumped into the escape-pod and shot out into the wreckage-littered galaxy. Gone baby gone.

‘No!’ Constant cried. ‘No…’ He clambered out of the destroyed ship and jumped to the moon’s surface.

A tear rolled down his cheek and something took a few jabs to his gut. He walked along the edge of the small moon, a very sad Thrill Seeker. A dragon flew by and asked for directions but all she got was a glassy look. With a terrific boom the ship exploded behind them and threw Constant to the ground. He bounced along for a bit then came to halt, laying there dejectedly, covered in moon dust. The dragon asked him if he needed a lift somewhere but he waved her away listlessly.

‘Leave me alone.’

‘Suit your-self.’ And she surged up and away in a crackle of magic, her ears pinned back in irritation.

Constant felt a tearing in his heart and clutched at his chest. ‘Ouch,’ he said.

Something whirred and landed behind him. Constant twisted round and saw to his surprise an escape pod. He managed to pull himself to his knees. Flames of hope licked his belly and his sore heart thumped.

Folly Strangler stepped from the pod and swaggered over. He un-hooked the faerie at his belt and flung her at Constant.

‘There, keep her then,’ he said with a sly lick, ‘but you wouldn’t accept a thousand gold crowns in exchange for her, would you?’

‘Bloody hell, Folly! You’re lucky she’s asleep and can’t hear you. Have you no decency?’

The pirate shrugged. ‘No. A wee bit of a conscience but…’

‘Well, thank you for releasing her, ye fecker.’ He tickled her ear and Annie woke up, clutching her head.

‘Ouch.’ She said, stretching her wings.

‘Fly away home, sweetest breath.’ Constant said and watched her as she disappeared into space.

‘Why’d you bring her back, Strangler?’

Folly spat into the Big Wide Galaxy. ‘Cuz you’d ‘a-got all loopy. Wouldn’t want ya after me.’

Constant clutched at his chest again. ‘I wouldn’t ‘a-got all loopy. Those days are over. But it would have ended what little of our friendship was left.’

‘Well,’ said Folly, ‘Lets admit it right? You gone loopy in the past and far as I’m concerned, you still a pirate. A lethal one.’

Falter rubbed at his chest, pounded it, shook his head. ‘People change, grow, and become better.’

‘Not pirates!’ shouted Folly Strangler.

‘Is that the only reason you came back? Cuz you were afraid I’d get loopy?’

‘What other reasons are there, pirate?’

‘I’m not a pirate no more.’

‘Are too.’

‘Wished you’d a brought her back cuz you knew it was the wrong thing you were doing, and not cuz you was a’ feared.’

Folly spat and walked back to his pod. ‘Bleeding born-agains.’

Constant fell to his knees as the pod again took off into the Big Wig Galaxy, his head slumping down. Memories of fire and ice rocked his world and an old stigma crept from a cloud overhead to settle itself, heavy as a hole upon his shoulders.

The Dragon Roana looked over her shoulder and her draconian eyes picked out the person she had passed by earlier, kneeling there alone on the moon as some contraption flew off, leaving behind a yellow streak. The dragon winged around curiously and considered the sad creature. He screamed as a ravine ripped savage and mean down the center his chest. From that gaping cavity a bleeding heart forced it’s way out and shattered into a million pieces, floating up into the universe, glinting like red stardust. The man’s body fell to the ground, lifeless and alone.

She’d never seen anything die of a broken heart before and felt bad for the creature. Roana pumped magic into her wing and flew back to him.

Far, far away, far below, far above, to the side and everywhere, a voice above him said: ‘Tsk tsk tsk.’

Constant looked up from the cradle of Father Sky’s arms. ‘That hurt, Father.’

Father Sky smiled down at him. ‘I’m sorry, Constant, but I can’t have you die of a broken heart. Wouldn’t be much of a Sky Father if I did.’

‘There’s a first time for everything.’

Father Sky chuckled.

The dragon felt a tear welling up in her eye as she looked down at the poor creature, eons since a dragon anywhere had cried.

Suddenly a hole folded open in the fabric of space and an angel flew down. It carried a shining red new heart, already pumping with life. The angel nodded politely at the dragon and set the heart into Constant’s chest. The ravine down his chest closed up and his torso shuddered. The winged one smiled at the dragon and flew off, disappearing once more into the fold of space.

Constant coughed and surged to his feet. He blinked around and took a sudden step back when he saw a dragon wiping dust from her eye.

‘Can you give me a lift?’ he said.

‘Surely.’ And they set off for Paradise Valley, Constant pointing out the star-lit trail.

‘Why’d your heart break?’ The dragon said.

‘Some friends don’t let you forget who you once were.’

‘Aye, well, some friends don’t want you to be anyone else. It keeps them safe, up on their cloud.’

‘Hurts.’

‘Well, you got a new heart. You can’t let that stuff kill you. And you must have new friends too, or will soon?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Constant. ‘They’re very nice. You’ll meet ‘em. Wait till you meet the Queen of Dreams.’

‘I can’t wait.’ Said Roana. ‘Aye, some friends aren’t good for ye. No matter how much you love ‘em. Best to just let ‘em ride their clouds around their small worlds.’

‘And paint their skies with the blood of stigma,’ said Constant, spitting over his shoulder.

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