Dragon Vòlkan

chapit de (2)

Evaris nan draco a

(Chapter two the greed of the dragon )

The massive dragon had shards of what looked like an electrical charge around his throat as he glittered with pride. He used his tail to grasp a fine large ruby and hold it close to his chest. “Would you like to see all the magnificent things I have built for myself here?” Violette pondered if she could get out of this alive. Still now that the sense of doom had subsided, she found herself curious. She liked the creatures that often petrified the other Elves. The tree-sized spiders of the mountain homelands, or the sirens at sea across the isles. There had always been odd other little creatures too, they often came looking for help as well as litches; skeletal undead whose minds were not destroyed. There had once been a little toad man with black eyes who had looked plagued.

The other elves; even more so her governess, berated her for the bad luck and misfortune all of these types of creatures brought into the lives of civil society, such as The Moon Elves. Yet Violette had never paid them mind. Money or no she did indeed aid them with healing spells or herbs. She preferred when the mice or birds came. Though anyone who needed help, even while roaming she did whatever she could. She felt that her god; who was a god who particularly created the elves but delighted in all creation, would be pleased. She did this even though most of the time she felt dead inside. That was certainly not the case since she met the dragon! There is a proverb that the man who wishes to die should throw himself in the ocean and he will once again discover the will to live. Every sense was heightened here, every moment could be her last with this impossibly powerful and strangely beautiful creature.

She thought of a bargain. Was it safe to bargain with a dragon? “Well, I would truly love to spend a full day looking at all this treasure. Yet I am so tired. I could not truly grasp its power.’ She thought this a rather good compliment to give a hungry dragon. She sighed a little, waiting for the dragon to respond.

The dragon snorted. “At least examine the silks and velvets to make yourself a bed. There is food also sitting on that hot rock over there and tea in the samovar. Be careful not to burn yourself.” He gestured with his head, “I shall leave you until you are well.” Although the dragon was dexterous with his claws, she could not imagine him being able to cook or make tea, there was something else she didn’t know about. She went to the food and thought of how dirty her nails had been. It was very improper to not have a wash before eating. She turned to the dragon. “Wakhangli. You are strong and wise. I have been through so much. I wish to be clean. Might you know a way?” Her voice allowed room for compliment.

The dragon thought of this as well and seemed excited he could see her elvish beauty in the light of his bath better. “I have a bath on top of the world that would be the envy of emperors. It is in the Eastern style with a hot and a cold chamber.” His head raised high with pride that at last he had found something that she might value. He told her to go through a human’s old wardrobe and that she could wash out her newfound priest robes.

It was a thing she nearly wept over the fact that she could not find a single bar of soap!

Violette wondered why he could possibly have all the treasure in the world but not clean himself. Perhaps he had others to clean him? In fact, the soap was there in several big piles at the bath and around the lair, she did not recognize it because it was a rock called pumice. Which she had never seen and did not know its properties. It was ideal for cleaning a dragon’s scales and fangs and would work on her skin and teeth as well, though it was more abrasive than she was used to. For her comfort it should have been powdered and combined with cream or oil, but he did not know this. This was only one of many, many miscommunications they would have as a result of differing customs and assumptions. She assumed he was ignorant of soap and toothpaste, he assumed that she turned up her nose at his hospitality and was a spoiled brat.

Most of the clothes were dry rotted and quite useless. The only thing she had found that looked decent had been a silk under slip as well as a nearly see-through sundress made of fine silver glitter. She had never seen fabric like it before with a fluffy feather shoe set. She had to cut the backs of the former human garment to make it fit her feet. Soon she found herself in the feet of the dragon with her bundle in a towel. She had true excitement of the thought of the food after a wonderful bath. The dragon blathered about various pieces of particular treasure as they set out, but she just nodded and smiled.

Only there was something slightly troublesome. They seemed to be leaving the dragon’s dwellings and heading up higher. There from the bird’s eye view was the most vast and elaborate bath she had ever seen.

The darker gray pool; and smaller of the two, was a hot spring. There was a clever gate that would allow water from the lake into it to adjust the temperature downward. The lake was much larger, stretching further than she could see once back on the ground. It was the collapsed top of the volcanic cone; a caldera, and was fed by rainwater and melted snow. It was crystal blue as well as breathtaking. It cascaded down the mountain as the Silver Creek. It was barren here except for decorative flowers around the hot spring that the dragon clearly had planted on purpose. The hills below drifted into vast coniferous forest filled with life.

The dragon set her down. “Is it not magnificent?” He asked, looking very proud and pleased.

“I have never seen anything like it.” she agreed. “I am used to privacy in the bath though, I expected it to be inside. Away from prying eyes.”

The dragon had been looking forward to seeing her disrobe and enjoy the bath. He had not gotten a smile out of her yet. Her answer peeved him. “No one disturbs a dragon in his bath, or anywhere else for that matter. It would be ill-mannered and fatal.” He took a deep breath making sure there were no foreign scents. “Only the small animals are anywhere within miles.” She did not look in the least bit convinced.

He knew that creatures like humans and elves were strange about clothes. He felt sorry for them that they were not blessed with scales or even fur or feathers to protect them. Modesty made no sense to him though and he recoiled like he’d been hit in the face when it suddenly struck him, that she was particularly talking about his eyes upon her. “Enjoy your bath, I’ll hunt and be back in the lair when you’re done.” He took wing before he said anything hurtful, though he was feeling deeply wounded. He still hoped that she would enjoy the water.

She watched the dragon lift off and head towards the valley below. She looked both ways before removing her garments, although she did believe him that no one was there. She understood the purpose of the gate, but it was too heavy for her to open. The dragon had not thought of that in his haste to depart. So, she was reduced to shuttling scoops of cool water across the gate with her hands while she sat against it.

Violette was very careful to never show anything that was under the water past her shoulders. Her long silver hair floated around her helping add a little self-assurance as she scrubbed away at her lilac toned skin. Having no soap and in the mineralized spring, she did not feel herself getting cleaner and the temperature was never quite right. She sat there becoming increasingly miserable and lonely. She did wash her clothes, then changed into the new ones when she exited. Now she was shivering with cold, there was nothing with which to make a fire and the trip back to the lair was full of sharp stones that her new shoes were not especially helpful in navigating.

There was a flash of lightning that was mysterious to her until she arrived. He had caught, butchered and roasted a buck using his lightning breath weapon to cook it. This was alongside the food from earlier which was dried figs and tea. He did not ask her if she had enjoyed the wondrous facility as it was clear she had not. Then she would not eat the carefully prepared filets he had cooked for her, explaining that she did not eat formerly living things.

The dragon; coming to wit’s end, demanded to see her teeth and then explained that her incisors were designed for meat eating. It was unhelpful and she turned away so he would not see her tears. They did not discuss the challenges she had met with the bath as neither was feeling talkative. He ate the entire buck. He was crestfallen that yet another gift had been despised. She did at least eat the figs and drink the tea.

She was chilled to the bone in the impractical clothing so she set about on a quest to gather what she could for bedding. The dragon did not help, only watched her as she stepped over precious jewels and chests of gold in pursuit of pillows, blankets and other things she deemed worthy, such as a little tiny rainbow bird that had been stuffed with cotton from a faraway land. The dragon did not dare tell her it had once been a living thing. Her long pale hands tried to build a windbreak of treasure. Everything was too heavy so it was a poor job. Still the bed was made so she could settle in. Here she could feel the tension in the air, it made her sad.

Her inner soul told her it was not the dragon’s fault what the orcs had done. Even if he had placed the ad, he showed her nothing but kindness and seemed willing to compromise for a little bit of soft tenderness from someone. He was a dragon and she was an elf but perhaps there was a way to stay with one another for a long time. She thought about how she could keep up with her priestly studies, she still wanted someday to get a sacred tribe spell casting weapon. She must keep on her path of healing in order to do so. If her magic became dark the weapon would be tainted overtime and never work again. “Come closer, dragon, shield me from the wind and bid me goodnight?” There being no immediate answer she added, “Please?! I am sorry our ways are so different.”

He was satisfied that she had tried a little bit. He assured her he would take her back to where she belonged if she truly hated his opulent home. He wrapped around her with his tail giving out a long sigh. She thought about that but was not sure she wanted to leave the lonely dragon either, perhaps she could teach him how to care for her properly and she would learn to love his simple outdoor ways with an open outdoor tub and nature. Her visage was visibly flustered at the sentiment. She held a palm to her rosy high cheek bone. She did not speak enough dragon speech to convey what she was feeling. It was a very hard compromise to go about the way of speaking the common speech the humans used in the lands. Having spent some time in the army he was fluent and she herself had to study it in her healing classes from a young age.

The dragon’s scales felt warmer now once it was conveyed across Violette thought for a long moment before she bit her lip. “Might you lend me your inner wing as a cover? It will help me feel safe after so many things.

Wakhangli wrapped his tight wing over them curling in a way that allowed him to do so and still settle in for sleep. Violette knew the dragon trusted her with his life. If she wanted to she could mortally wound him from this spot. He had even given her the throwing knife made from a dragon tear. Yet she knew she could never do such a thing, it did show her that they could trust one another, find peace in one another. It also meant that even though she would always be a cleric to the ocean, she would never go home to her peoples.

“There’s blue fire in the north.” the dragon observed. She didn’t know which way north was, but when she got oriented, she could see it dimly. “There will be entertainment tomorrow…” he explained. She did not know what he meant but answered that she hoped she would enjoy the show. “Goodnight little one.” the dragon told her with a curious smile.