Dragon Vòlkan

Set Nan Chapit (7)

Desizyon an difisil

(The difficult decision)

It was all just a bit too much. The dragon had set down roots here, made alliances, taken mates and had children at least twice, possibly more. When she was in his presence, she felt special, as if she were the only creature in the whole wide world in his eyes. But this, she decided, was an illusion, he was a charmer and deceiver. How could he really care about her the way she had begun to care about him. He was certainly not a lonely dragon furtively protecting his golden horde.

On impulse she slipped back into the Dragon’s Import/Export establishment. She took a good many of the flowers and returned to the Drow and gave him three big bunches. She made him take an oath to use them as he said which he gladly did. His teeth sparkled just like the dragon’s when he took them, which made her feel uncomfortable, but done was done.

Without a word, she picked up the wagon that had been loaded for her and set out for the rendezvous with the dragon. The woods had been quiet as a soft breeze rushed through them. The sunset was nearly over, just some splashes of purple and red on the horizon. Violette now wore a fine cloak made of silk around the traditional elvish robes she had gotten today. She was in no hurry. She often preferred going out when the dragon slumbered to forage. Her eyes worked better in the night, and she went barefoot to hear the earth’s gong, but not today. However, she had spied some fine oyster mushrooms off the side of the road and was moving to pick them when a soft elvish voice called out to her. “Bonswa, mezanmi mwen bezwen èd ou.”

Violette found herself turning to the figure. She could not help herself at the cry of need.

A glowing sun elf appeared before her; her features had been defined sharply, yet it was her glowing pools of sunlight for eyes that caught her attention. The next had been the fine long flowing robes of her distant homelands. The woman played with her long blonde locks. “Please, madam I ask for your help, the orcs have come… they…” the woman was distraught.

″Tell me your name.” Violette found herself going to the woman to try to soothe her. She raised her hands in the air. Her body on her star spots began to flicker and spew off a thick purple light. She began to speak deep elvish words of soothing that had the woman breathing slower. “My name is Dilligaf from the Kokoye townships.” Violette was familiar with Kokoye; it was the seafaring town on the other side of the isles of her homeland. The spell now faded away slowly into glitter on the forest floors.

Her eyes told Violette thank you; she seemed tired. While her whole body shook, she told Violette a grand tale of thousands of orcs swarming her home, enslaving many and killing more! It had been by the grace of Agwe, god of the sea, that she and her daughter Violet had lived. Her daughter’s name was so close to her own it pulled at her heartstrings.

“I come begging you for a few small rubies from the dragon as well as some gold coins, while I have no need for such things, I cannot get my daughter and I a safe place without human currency.” A perfectly groomed brow rose at the stranger.

Violette was willing to give though she wanted to see this child first. She asked, “I have a few things to ask first of all: have the orcs spread along the isles?”

The woman shook her head, “No the Star elves descended from the mountains and there was a great war.”

Now she raised her shoulders at the stranger, “Why did you not join your own kind? Why come to the dragon island?”

Yet now Dilligaf had another smooth response. Full of emotion as her eyes went wide.

“You know the star elves are the most selective of them all! How could I ever belong? It was easier to journey here. But we don’t belong here either.”

Violette dipped her head low and she thought of her own future. “I must meet your daughter first if I am to give more treasure away.” Soon she found herself following the elf deeper into the woods.

The camp was simple yet sturdy, clearly elvish-made; it was a grass roofed hut she spoke with shame dripping from her voice. “I only want to give Violet a better life. This hut is nothing like our old home.”

Soon a small child who had short mossy brown hair who resembled her mother even down to her sun-like eyes tumbled out coughing deeply. She had bags under her eyes and her little nose was red.

“Mamman!” She had called her mother in the Elvish tongue. “Did you get the medicine?”

“No Violet, I did not, but Madam Violette wanted to meet you so perhaps I can.”

Now the moon elf pushed her long silver hair from her face “Are you sick little one?” The small girl nodded and Violette turned to Dilligaf “I shall help you but once you are on your feet you will have to work as a human to live in their world.” With that having been said she handed over all the gold and rubies she had left and the mushrooms. She had much and they had little, anyway if the dragon found out he’d be as angry about one coin as the whole batch. She felt that she could make him understand in time.

For a moment, Dilligaf’s smile reminded her of the dragon, but she put it out of her head. The sun elves were known to be an emotional lot. The child showed no effect at all, just standing motionless. It occurred to her as she went back to the wagon that she had not physically touched any of them, which was odd as sun-elves and moon elves would ordinarily have hugged in such an exchange but it somehow never felt quite right. She was puzzled about this as she kept to the road and saw that the dragon was waiting for her at the appointed place. In the sudden business of unharnessing the horses and hooking the wagon to the dragon she forgot her concerns. She told the dragon all of her adventures, save the two elves.