A Dragon’s Tale

Taloni had no words for what she was currently feeling. There was a nervous, restless feeling in her that she just couldn't shake. She had gone for a run, done all her meditation exercises, prayed, and even tried... She could barely bring herself to think about it; she'd tried... 'touching' herself to get rid of the feeling.

It wouldn't leave.

It was like something inside of her had awoken when she bonded with Ethan. She suspected it was a side effect of her Fey heritage, but there were no adult Fey around to ask. She just felt so... so...

She groaned in frustration.

She felt like her body was going to explode if she didn't do something about this feeling. She needed some kind of release; some way to let the pent-up pressure escape. Unfortunately, she didn't have a way. The feeling seemed concentrated around her hips and chest, and nothing seemed to alleviate it.

Nothing.

Her dreams were filled with visions of her naked on a bed with Ethan. She couldn't quite tell what they were doing, but she knew it's what she desperately wanted. Sometimes, Alana -- and occasionally Rachel -- were there helping her and guiding her so she could pleasure Ethan better. Sometimes, one of the women was even more... involved.

She turned beet red at the memory of what she'd dreamed of last night and how the wood elf had touched her. At the same time, it made the area between her legs incredibly wet. She couldn't believe that such a thing had occurred to her. But her mind occasionally drifted back to the dream in which--

"Tee!" Prayla said.

Taloni jumped, not realizing her friend was talking to her.

"I swear girl, where has your mind been?"

"Somewhere." She replied evasively, looking around the shack in which she lived to see her best friend had just entered through the rickety door.

Prayla raised her eyebrow. "It's been four days and he said he was just going to Arcanum to buy something. If he was going to come back, he would've already."

The Fey shook her head. "No, he wouldn't leave me."

She remembered that one brief glimpse of him she'd gotten when they had bonded. It was like seeing a town from the sky, except it was his personality and soul that was laid out before her. She couldn't remember anything specific, but she got a very strong sense of who he was.

He wouldn't leave her.

She knew that.

She knew it with a certainty she couldn't explain; she knew it in her heart and in her bones.

"Come on Tee, I know you've been dreaming of escaping this mine for your entire life, but you can't keep your head in the clouds. I wish he was coming back for you too, but it's time to face the facts."

Prayla sat down next to Taloni and looked her in the eyes. "He's gone Tee. You need to make peace with that."

"I don't think--" Taloni started to say, but was interrupted by the alarm bell.

"Airship ho!" A sentry cried. "Airship ho! South by southeast!"

"It's him." Taloni said with a huge smile, then jumped off her bed and ran out the door.

It was a beautiful morning. The sun was high in the sky and shining, as it was nearing noon. The sky itself was a nearly cloudless blue, though not too hot and a slight breeze blew through the mining camp. On the horizon, she could see the Argo slowly approaching and her heart soared.

The Fey heard Prayla follow her out and turned to give her a wide smirk. "I told you he'd never leave me."

Prayla looked dumbstruck.

The look of disbelief didn't leave her friend's face as the Argo approached, nor when its ladder was rolled down, nor when Ethan -- with his disguise gem activated -- climbed down, followed by Alana and Rachel.

Taloni threw her arms around Prayla and gave her a huge hug. "I'm going to miss you. You've been a wonderful friend and I'll never forget you. I might even come back and visit if I can."

Prayla hugged her back. On instinct at first, then more tightly as she seemed to come back to herself. She hugged the Fey girl so tightly she thought she might suffocate.

The human girl sniffled. "I'm going to miss you too Tee. You better visit, or I'll sic the dragon hunters on you to bring you back."

Taloni chuckled.

Prayla cried.

They held each other for almost a minute before letting go. When they did, the two young women had tears of both sadness and joy.

"You can get out of this hellhole Tee." Prayla said as she wiped her eyes. "Go, leave, and promise me you'll make a wonderful life for yourself out there."

"I will." The Fey nodded.

"Good, now go see that fiancé of yours."

Taloni nodded and ran toward him. She wasn't really thinking, and only slowed when she realized that Thaltien had already come out to meet him. She stopped just short of them and resisted the urge to throw her arms around Ethan's neck and kiss him.

They were standing at the edge of town. Thaltien had several armed guards nearby, obviously still not trusting the dragon near his mine. However, the guards looked relaxed, so perhaps they didn't know that Ethan was a dragon? Come to think of it, she and Prayla hadn't told anyone, nor had she heard rumors around the camp. Perhaps Thaltien hadn't told anyone either?

"So, the dragon is dead?" Thaltien asked.

"No, but he's gone." Ethan replied. "Your mine is safe."

"That wasn't the deal." Thaltien said gruffly. "You were supposed to kill the dragon in exchange for me freeing Taloni. Driving it away just means it'll return later."

"If I may?" Rachel interjected. "We drove the dragon away, meaning his hoard is unprotected. We didn't take any of it because we had injured crew that needed tending. I don't know how large Havorleth's hoard was, but I'll bet it's large enough to buy Taloni's freedom ten times over."

Thaltien harrumphed. "I suppose that's true... if the dragon is really gone."

"Feel free to double check." Ethan said. "His lair isn't that far from here."

Thaltien called several of his most trusted scouts forward, got directions, and dispatched them at speed on horses to verify Ethan's story.

"Until they return, Taloni is not to leave the camp." Thaltien said, then abruptly turned and walked away. Ethan watched him go, the scales on his shoulders seemed to have risen threateningly...

Then he saw her.

He seemed to relax and a wide smile crossed his face.

"Hi." The diminutive Fey said sheepishly.

"Hi." He replied, his disguise gem not hiding his true form from her eyes.

She felt a small burst of happiness come over their fledgling bond. It made her heart melt and her loins shiver. She couldn't wait until tonight. Once those riders had returned and Thaltien had freed her, she planned to... to... Every part of her body screamed to do something, but she was only vaguely aware of what that thing was. Or rather, she was having trouble admitting to herself what she wanted to do.

Alana caught her eye and winked. Somehow, she got the impression that the wood elf knew exactly what she was feeling.

"Um, hi?" She said again, not knowing what else to say.

"You already said that." Ethan chuckled, but she didn't get the sense he was laughing at her. "How have you been?"

"Um, I've been good. I think." She was suddenly very self-conscious.

She was keenly aware that she hadn't fixed her hair or her dress. She hadn't done anything to fix herself up to be more attractive. She glanced at Alana, who looked radiant and radiantly happy. She was so beautiful and Taloni didn't know how she could compare.

"Um, how are you?" She finally said as she tried to surreptitiously smooth out her dress. She also ran a hand through her hair nervously, hoping to smooth it out.

Apparently, Alana saw right through her because she put a hand on his shoulder as he was about to reply. "Ethan, its Taloni's wedding day. Would it be okay if I go help Taloni prepare, and you can wait here?"

"Uh...?" He looked at her confused. Alana tilted her head slightly, there was a brief pause, and then he nodded like he'd heard something and turned back to the Fey girl. "Sure, I'll see you later."

Alana nearly skipped forward, hooking Taloni's arm in her own and leading her away. Once they were out of earshot, she whispered into Taloni's ear. "Don't be nervous; it'll all be okay."

"Are you sure?" The Fey bit her lip and honestly felt a little inadequate next to the gorgeous wood elf. She just seemed to glow with inner happiness which made her look at least twice as beautiful as the Fey teen remembered.

She just wasn't sure she could compare in Ethan's eyes.

"I'm absolutely sure." The wood elf beamed, then stopped and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

Taloni looked into Alana's beautiful hazel eyes, down at the ground, then back up. "What if he doesn't like me?"

"Oh dear girl." The shorter wood elf rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do you know what Ethan went through so he could free you?"

The Fey shook her head.

"Well then, let me tell you. I promise your doubts will disappear when you hear what he went through to save you."

* * *

Hailey leaned her willowy frame over the edge of the Argo's railing, looking down on Alana leading a nervous Taloni away from a slightly confused Ethan. The sight did her heart good. When she thought about everything they had gone through -- about everything she had put them through -- she thought they deserved nothing more than a happy ending.

Her though...

She still had nightmares about killing the champion. She still had a hard time imagining Jason smiling at her. She didn't know what she would do if she wasn't able to go home, or even if she was able to. Either way, she didn't know how she would live with herself.

"As Ethan would say, penny for your thoughts?" Anthiel's melodious voice came from behind her. The high elf was drop-dead gorgeous as ever. Today, she was dressed in a flowery dress with leather breeches. The contrast was odd, though somehow it worked.

"I'm just thinking." Hailey deflected.

Apparently, Anthiel wasn't fooled. "I know, that's why I asked."

Hailey hung her head, letting her long straight hair partially conceal her face. "I killed him, the champion I mean. He absolutely deserved to die, but I can't forgive myself for killing him. He was horrible; the scum of the earth and yet I can't..." She turned to the elf. "Why?"

Anthiel nodded. "We've been rather busy of late, but I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"You have?"

"I have." The high elf nodded. "I've been meaning to ask you, why did you kill him?" For some reason, Hailey got the impression that Anthiel wasn't asking because she didn't know, but rather because she had something to say on the topic.

"Because I wasn't smart enough to avoid digging two graves." Hailey replied, thinking about the popular saying.

"Oh?" The high elf looked skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure; I was there wasn't I?"

Anthiel looked out into the cloudless blue sky. "I wasn't there, so could you describe what happened after Ethan arrived?"

Hailey did so, the event not feeling so traumatic now. The old man in the prison had been right; talking about it had helped. Anthiel listened almost without comment until she finished.

"So, you had left the room and your anger was gone. You returned to the room when he shouted for the guards. Is that right?"

Hailey nodded.

"And you threw the knife right after... What?"

"After he threatened to hurt Vienne."

"So, did you kill him for yourself -- for revenge -- or did you do it to save your friend?"

"I... I don't know." Hailey suddenly wasn't sure and turned to look at Anthiel.

The elder woman had a knowing look on her face. "That's what I thought. Hailey, you know from personal experience that killing another person is a terrible weight on the soul. But the reason matters. Take Alana for example. I think we can agree that she's one of the sweetest, most tenderhearted women in this world. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes."

"Even before she bonded to Ethan, she killed a couple of men and yet it has never bothered her. And while I cannot be perfectly certain, I think you can guess why."

"It was self-defense?" Hailey suggested.

"That's probably part of it, but I doubt it's the whole reason why it doesn't bother her."

"Oh." Hailey said as she realized what Anthiel was getting at. "You mean it's because she did it in defense of others."

Anthiel nodded. "So I repeat my earlier question: why did you kill him?"

Hailey closed her eyes and thought back. She had left the room and only returned when he had shouted for the guards. She'd been standing there when he had started to threaten Vienne. She had just reacted on instinct. She remembered thinking that she couldn't let anything happen to Vienne and that as long as he was alive, she -- and Hailey herself -- would be in danger.

"Huh." Hailey cocked her head to one side. "Maybe it wasn't about revenge. Maybe I just assumed it was because that's all I've thought about."

"That's my point." Anthiel smiled. "It didn't take long to see you're wracked with guilt, but I don't think you need to be. You may have gone there to kill him for revenge, but that's not why you ended up killing him. You killed him in self-defense and to save the life of another; who could fault you for that?"

"You have a point." Hailey replied.

"I know." Anthiel said with a wink.

* * *

Having made good time with ideal wind, it was only late afternoon when Kendra landed her tiny airship in the Arcanum docks. She couldn't help but contrast it with the last time she had docked less than a week ago. The last time, she had enjoyed returning to civilization. The stench of the dock, the bustle of the crowds, and the excitement of hunting a dragon had made her nearly elated.

Now...

Now she didn't know what to think.

She paid the dock fee, ignoring the hopeful eye of the dock master who was obviously hoping for another gold coin. She walked nearly on autopilot to Falkaan's ship; The Midnight Sun. She boarded without preamble or announcing herself.

"Hey captain, she's back." A grizzled man yelled from the quarterdeck. She assumed it was Damon, his pilot.

"Kendra." Falkaan's voice came from the hold and she heard someone ascending the steps. "I trust your hunt was successful and you're returning with--" He stopped when he saw her. He stared at her appraisingly for a moment, then beckoned her below decks.

She followed almost mechanically, her legs carrying her forward without conscious effort on her part. He led her to a small table below decks and poured her a small glass of mead.

She downed it in one gulp.

"What happened?" He asked.

She told him.

She told him the whole story.

She told him everything, leaving nothing out this time even though she had last time. She told him about Luminar Kossel's prediction, she told him the full story of The Arena, where the dragon had killed her and then saved her life. She told him about tracking them down and how she had let a dragon order her around. And finally, she told him about the dragon saving her life again and the emotion behind his eyes when he spoke about the wood elf.

She left nothing out.

Falkaan leaned back in his chair and stroked his goatee. He was silent for several moments before replying. "You have a problem Kendra; a very serious problem."

"I know."

"I don't think you do. For most of your life, you've harbored an intense hatred of dragons. For as long as I've known you, you always referred to every single dragon as an 'it'; never a 'he'. The thing that stuck out most about your story was your use of pronouns."

She raised her eyebrow.

He leaned forward. "You never once called this dragon 'it'; you only said 'he'. You even called the other dragon that he fought an 'it'. But this steel gray dragon -- this Ethan -- you only ever referred to him as 'he' or 'him'; never 'it'. Did you notice?"

"I think so?" She replied.

"You've changed Kendra." Falkaan sighed. "You changed a fundamental part of how you view dragons, or at least this dragon."

"You might be right."

"You fell for it Kendra." He shook his head. "How many times have we been tricked by dragons? How many times did their primal cunning put us -- our whole team -- in jeopardy? How many times have they proven to be snakes with wings, and just as devoted to the truth?"

"True, but you didn't see him."

"Kendra, Mr. Damon and I have talked about this at length. There's clearly something about this dragon that's unusual. From the beginning, the reward was too large. I suspected there was something else going on; that his crimes were more serious than Lord Delmar would admit. I even entertained the idea that this dragon might be different for a time, but consider his actions. Everywhere this dragon goes, death and destruction follow."

"True." She conceded.

"I know you're more religious than most in our line of work. Doesn't the Book of Light talk about how to tell the righteous from the wicked?"

"You will know them by their deeds." She quoted.

"Exactly." He nodded. "At a certain point, you have to look at the full balance of what someone has done."

She looked at Falkaan. "Maybe the death and destruction that follow him are because he's being attacked? I was responsible for much of the destruction and you for some of the rest. Maybe he's not evil, maybe he's being attacked?"

The dark elf gave her a strange look. "Do you hear yourself Kendra? You're defending a dragon."

She groaned.

"Shit; I am." She grabbed the bottle of mead, filled her small glass, and downed it in one go. "What in Saidow's Lair is wrong with me?"

"I don't know." He replied sympathetically.

"He saved my life." She added quietly. "Why would he do that? It doesn't make any sense. He had nothing to gain by saving me and everything to lose... both times."

It was Falkaan's turn to consider. "True. I'll admit that doesn't make sense."

They were both silent for almost a minute before Kendra spoke again. "Saving my life once didn't make sense. Twice? It's inconceivable. And how in God's name did he use lightning? That's supposed to be Illuminar's own weapon; a weapon of pure light being wielded by a dragon? It doesn't make sense!"

She pounded the table in frustration.

It was maddening.

Infuriating...

...and yet...

"Do you really think this dragon might not be evil?" Falkaan asked, and it was an honest question. He sounded doubtful, but he was asking.

"I have no fucking clue." Kendra sighed. "I really don't."

She touched her dragon tooth necklace. She had been so determined to take revenge on all dragons for what they had done. But had she missed something? Were all dragons really just beasts without feeling or human emotion, or was this one possibly more?

"Then you know what to do." Falkaan said. "We already have the official story from Lord Delmar. But remember what happened to me; sometimes the official story isn't the whole story. You need to find this dragon again and get his side of the story."

She snorted. "Yeah, like he would tell me. I tried to kill him a couple of times now, he'd probably attack me on sight."

"Perhaps, but he also saved your life twice when he didn't have to." Falkaan countered. "If this dragon really is different -- if he really isn't as bad as all the rest of them -- then he might hear you out."

Kendra frowned. "I doubt it."

"Then perhaps discretion is the better part of valor. Track him, stalk him; see where he goes, see what he does, and you'll see his true character eventually. Sooner or later, you'll learn the truth."

"I hate it when you're right."

"I can't help it; it comes naturally." He smiled.

She tried to laugh, but it came out more like a snort.

"And hang onto that Dragon Slayer too, Illuminar knows I can't use it." He glanced at the stump of his arm.

"Thank you."

She reached for the bottle again but he intercepted her hand. "Mead won't help, Kendra. You need to get to the bottom of this, if only for your own sanity."

She nodded and withdrew her hand.

"Then I should get going." She stood up. "I have a pretty good idea where they are, but once they've left..."

He nodded and stood up too. "It was wonderful to see you Kendra. I hope our paths cross again soon."

"That would be great; take care old man." She said affectionately.

"May Illuminar guide you on the path of light as you travel, and I hope you find the truth."

"Me too." She nodded. "Me too."