A Dragon’s Tale

Ethan thought there was something surreal in having dinner with Beth's family. She was a wonderful woman and he liked her a lot. But he missed Alana. How he'd fallen for her so completely in the short time they had known each other, he'd never know. When he thought about life without her, it was just...

He couldn't believe it.

Seriously.

Some part of him refused to believe she would be out of his life forever. Something about the idea sounded so completely impossible. It felt blatantly and categorically untrue, like someone saying the sky was red, the grass was blue, and rocks were made of cheese. He had this certainty that she wouldn't be gone from his life forever. Despite all evidence to the contrary, he just couldn't believe they wouldn't end up together.

It just didn't feel true, even though it looked true right now.

After the betrothal ceremony, he spent the evening with Beth and her parents. She had been cautiously cheerful the whole time and did her best to keep his spirits up. He really appreciated it and genuinely enjoyed her company. She was a lovely girl, but he wasn't feeling very cheerful.

Her parents had peppered him with questions as to where he came from, but Ethan answered half-heartedly and with few details. They were very nice and welcoming, her mother especially, but her father was more reserved and eyed Ethan occasionally in a manner that was a bit unsettling.

They showed him around their impressive mansion before setting out a lavish feast before him at dinner, served by some of their many servants. The food was exquisite but just felt 'blah' in his mouth. He would've preferred dry bread and water with Alana to a feast without her. Though, having Beth at this imaginary feast would be nice too.

He missed the wood elf so much already and she hadn't been gone a whole day. He knew it was strange, but assumed it was partially because of their bond. Quite beside his own pain, he could feel sadness and grief coming from Alana. He hadn't looked at their bond -- he had respected her request -- but the emotions were so strong they were hard to miss.

Oddly, she seemed more upset about his absence than his marriage to Beth.

"Ethan." Beth touched his arm.

"Huh, what?" he looked around the table to see everyone staring at him. "Sorry, my mind wandered."

"Do try to keep your mind on what's in front of you." Lord Borden said significantly with a glance toward Beth.

"I will sir."

"Daddy was just asking when you wanted to start at The Bank." Beth said.

"Is there any chance I could start tonight?" he asked, thinking gold would be a welcome distraction from missing Alana.

Lord Borden nodded. "Absolutely. I have great plans for you in The Bank, assuming your nature stays under control. I can hardly think of anyone who would guard the gold more diligently; can you?"

"No, I don't think anyone would."

"Good. As requested, you'll start as a night guard in the vault. Eventually, you'll need to learn the other positions if you are to manage The Bank effectively. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good, then follow me." Lord Borden stood. Ethan and Beth followed the older man out of the dining room through the house and into the night air. The town was mostly silent apart from the sounds of drinking and singing coming from the pubs.

To his left, Ethan saw the mast of a sailing ship poking up in the distance. He thought that was strange as there weren't any large bodies of water nearby.

"What's that?"

"That's daddy's new airship." Beth replied. "I can show you in the morning, if you'd like."

"An airship? Yes please."

Lord Borden led the way up the long flight of steps to The Bank. The stairs had no railings and were only six feet across. They were wide enough to be comfortable but narrow enough to prevent a lot of men from attacking at once. The stairs ended and leveled out to a wooden drawbridge.

Up close, the defenses were quite impressive.

Spread atop the impressive wall were several sets of small ballistae that could probably mow down half a dozen people on the narrow walk at once. The drawbridge -- when raised -- would form part of the wall, which was crenelated for archers. If attackers managed to survive all that, there would be a few dozen pike men ready to skewer any invaders.

Behind the outer fortifications was a solid steel door set into the side of the mountain. The door was open and Ethan could see a long stone hallway beyond it. Lord Borden walked past the impressive defenses with barely a glance. The guards nodded respectfully as he and Beth passed. They mostly just gave Ethan a curious look.

Beyond the massive steel door was a long corridor six feet wide and seven feet tall. Lining the wall were torch sconces cut out of the stone itself. Once they were through the massive steel door, Lord Borden turned into a small office hollowed out of the rock.

Inside was a young man who seemed quite surly despite his obvious high position, or perhaps because of it.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties, although he was sporting a full beard. A sword was fastened at his side and he wore chainmail from head to toe, partially concealed by a surcoat which carried the emblem of a gold coin. He was also huge at over six feet and -- even taking into account the extra bulk added by the chainmail -- it looked like he could wrestle an ox and win.

"Heinrich." Lord Borden said with a respectful nod.

"Lord Borden." The armored man stood and gave a bow. There was obviously a great deal of trust between the two men.

"This is the dragon then?" Heinrich asked. Ethan noticed he glanced at Beth and then clenched his fists.

"He is. I put his equipping and training in your hands." Lord Borden turned to Ethan. "Heinrich is true as dragon steel and the best man I know. Trust him. He won't let you down."

"I will."

"One more thing." Lord Borden said. "Pay very close attention while in the vault. Because of thieves, it's rigged with several lethal traps. There are none on the main pathway, so that is safe. Please, don't venture off that pathway if you value your life. I spared no expense on them, so pay attention when Heinrich shows them to you."

"I definitely will."

"Then good evening." And with that, Lord Borden strode out of the room leaving Beth, Ethan, and Heinrich standing there.

"Come with me." Heinrich said without preamble.

He led Ethan and Beth down the hall a short way and then turned into what was clearly an armory. In one half of the room, weapons were neatly arranged on racks. On the other half, there was a large collection of various kinds of armor. Ethan noticed there was plenty of chainmail, but almost no plate armor.

"Use the gem to make it appear you're wearing armor." Heinrich ordered none-too-politely.

"Do you have a problem with me?" Ethan asked.

"Yes." Heinrich replied curtly. "Now do as you're told or I'll find another job for you that won't be as pleasant."

Ethan briefly considered arguing, but a look from Beth dissuaded him of that notion. He pushed a little mana into the disguise gem and the transparent outline around him changed. It now looked like he was dressed like the other guards.

"What weapon are you most proficient with?" Heinrich asked.

"Glock 19." Ethan replied without thinking.

The guard captain was not amused.

"A spear, I guess."

Heinrich grabbed a seven-foot short spear and handed it to him. "Come with me."

Heinrich started walking down the stone hall and that's when the feeling truly hit Ethan.

Gold

Lots of gold.

He opened up his dragon senses and his jaw dropped. He could feel the power of the gold. It was lifeless now, but it had potential... so much potential. He could actually feel his mouth watering at the thought of being near all of it.

They walked for about a minute before they came to what looked like a primitive elevator. There was a stone counterweight next to the elevator cage and a large spoked wheel -- like on an old sailing ship -- connected to a crank.

Heinrich led the way into the elevator cage. It seemed stable when he and Ethan stepped in, but the moment Beth stepped in the cage began to slowly sink. The guard at the crank spun the ship's wheel hastening their descent. The elevator cage dropped for twenty feet before bottoming out.

At the bottom, a short hallway ended at yet another large steel door. Ethan could feel the gold beyond. It was dead -- lifeless -- but he could feel it. As he got closer it started responding to his presence, as if to its master. Very slowly, it was starting to come alive. Well, not really alive, but Ethan couldn't think of another way to describe it.

Strangely, it reminded him of how it felt to be near Alana.

Heinrich produced a key and unlocked the large steel door. When it swung open, the contents within took Ethan's breath away.

It was the vault and it was filled with gold.

Straight ahead were large stacks of gold bars and mountains of gold coins all neatly arranged. To one side was a large collection of silver and to the other side more precious gems than Ethan had ever seen. A steel chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling provided flickering light to the entire room. The ceiling was also almost twenty feet; much higher than the adjoining passages and rooms. The vault was perhaps fifty feet square, though most of that was taken up with gold, silver, and precious stones.

"I think I'm in love." He murmured aloud.

Beth sighed and Heinrich scowled. It occurred to Ethan that saying that in front of his betrothed and the man who was in love with her was probably a bad idea.

"I just mean..." Ethan started to say, and then realized there was no way he could pull his foot out of his mouth.

"I know exactly what you meant, dragon." The other man snapped. "Now, notice the floor."

Ethan looked down. There was a clearly defined, ten-foot-wide central walkway down the center of the vault. It was decorated with a mosaic of tiles while the rest of the floor was completely unadorned.

"Stay on the pathway if you value your life." Heinrich indicated the walls

Ethan could see what looked like small cutouts -- about the size of a man's hand -- opening into blackness. His dragon eyes could just see the tip of a crossbow bolt in the darkness.

"They are activated by stepping off the main walkway, unless you know how to avoid them." Heinrich explained gruffly.

"But why traps in here with all the security outside?" Ethan asked.

Heinrich gestured to the ceiling. There were several round holes in the ceiling that looked just barely large enough for someone of Alana's size to fit through. Or at least, she could've fit if they weren't blocked by iron bars. He could feel a very slight breeze coming from them, and realized they must be how they changed the air in the vault.

"Every year someone gets the idea to go through the damn vents." Heinrich said. "They use magic or acid to cut through the bars and try to rob the vault. They don't live long so watch your step; I'm tired of ordering the cleaners down here to wipe blood off the gold."

"I'll be careful."

Heinrich muttered something before saying "Your shift ends at dawn. I would leave when asked, or I might get in some dragon hunting practice."

"Hermy!" Beth exclaimed. It was funny to see a 300lb plus man rebuked by a woman perhaps a third of his size. Heinrich grunted, virtually ignoring her rebuke, and then left the vault.

The blonde girl turned to Ethan. "Sorry about him, He's very protective of The Bank because of my father, but he's a good man when you get to know him."

"I'm sure." Ethan replied, realizing that she must be ignorant of Heinrich's obvious attraction to her. Then he turned his eyes back to the gold. The sight was captivating in a way he had never felt before. Nothing had ever captured his attention like this before.

Well, not quite nothing.

There was a wood elf with rich chocolate-brown hair and the world's greatest smile that not only compared, but handily beat the sight before him.

"Lady Borden." Heinrich called from the elevator.

"I'm coming, give me a minute." Beth replied, then turned to Ethan. "We didn't get a chance to talk earlier, but Alana came to my chambers and talked to me earlier today."

"She did?" Ethan tore his eyes from the gold to look at her.

"Yes. I know you two are... I mean you both..."

Beth seemed to struggle for a moment to find the right words. "I know how much you both gave up for me and my family. I realize I'm probably not your first choice for a wife."

"Well, I wasn't exactly looking to get married."

She took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say that she made me promise to be the best wife I possibly could be for your sake. I just wanted to let you know I intend to make good on that promise. I know you don't love me now, but I hope one day you'll learn to."

He smiled at her. "I could definitely learn to love you Beth. I'm sorry if I've been a little distant. I do really appreciate you doing so much and trying to cheer me up. You've been really great and it means a lot."

Beth's face could've illuminated all of New York City the way it shone. "Enjoy your night and may Illuminar keep watch over you."

She left the vault and took the elevator up with Heinrich, who shouted for the elevator to rise. Beth gave him a hopeful smile as they ascended out of sight

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He hadn't considered what Beth must be going through, knowing that he was attracted to someone else but marrying her anyway. She seemed to take it well though, and her enthusiasm was just short of infectious.

He was glad she was happy.

He turned to look at the gold around him and the sight cheered him up immensely, though not completely. His dragon body might be responding to the gold with bliss but his mind was still mostly human. He missed Alana and he wanted to make Beth happy.

She was a wonderful girl. She was smart, inquisitive, and a joy to be around. She had an infectious exuberance that was almost like a balm to his dark mood. He could learn to love her; to be happy with her. In fact, he could only think of one true mark against her: she wasn't Alana.

Wonderful yes, but not Alana.

As he looked around the room, something welled up inside of him. He could feel a connection to the gold beginning to form. He could feel it start to resonate in his presence. Already he could feel a tiny trickle of mana begin to dribble toward him from the gold. Somehow, he knew that he would make the gold come fully alive over the next few days and when it did, a veritable floodgate of mana would open.

As he looked around the room, he thought only one thing was missing.

Alana's smile.