A Dragons Desire (closed for DarkWarrioress)

[Finadien]

In the year 2000 magic returned. It was not with a big bang, fireworks or fanfares like a storm, it was calm and slow like a summer breeze. It brought with it creatures of all kind that walked among humans as shape-shifters but in their natural state they would be bears and wolves, mountain lions and caribou, large eagles or snakes. Those all mingled with humans, having relationships and feuds, trying to fit in or keeping to themselves but all in all they were mostly accepted by now.

And then there are the darker kind of creatures, Vampires and Demons, sulking in the shadows and feeding on human blood or emotions. They were hunted and prosecuted. Countries created whole task forces to deal with them, trying to stem a tide of bloodsuckers or horned beasts that devoured human souls. But they also had a strange alure for some humans. Being that vampires always held the fascination for those who read books from Anne Rice to Stephanie Meyer or that some humans coveted the emotions that demons could bring, especially the succubae and incubi were lusted after.

So, nobody thought it strange when the first dragon appeared in the sky over Germany. Nobody knew the truth, nobody suspected anything. The four dragons had always been there, waiting and sleeping in remote areas, walking among humans in their form, learning and hiding. The return of magic had set them free to roam the world again without being hunted right away and the returning magic was strongest in them so they could protect themselves.

The oldest of the dragons, Lofwyr, dragon of the west already had infiltrated the German government as an inconspicuous bureaucrat and was slowly extending his reach not only into the top offices but also slowly into the other European countries. The dragons of the south and east still where biding their time, slowly collecting information and power, making the humans used to their true form but not yet making their move for power.

---------------------


He sat in a small café in a small New England town, sipped from his hot coffee and took a bite from a bagel with cream cheese and thinly sliced chicken breast. Between bites he alternated between the newspaper he was reading and the TV screen that was showing the news. It was more of the usual, some sightings of the more seedier shape-changers, a report on a shooting somewhere, budget talks from the government and the weather.

The newspaper he had purchased from the kiosk across the street was a bit more informative and especially more international. He skipped the national and sports section and finally reached the part he was interested in.

There had been another scandal in the German government with a minister being accused of consorting with a succubus and now he had to be replaced. It was the 3rd such scandal in a short time and there already was talk about the current Federal Chancellor being seen with a vampire. She denied any accusation, but the talks didn’t stop.

He folded the paper and sighed. Perhaps it was time to get involved as well? He shook his head, he didn’t want to. He wanted to just collect more information, getting to know the people here better and trying to figure out how to proceed from there, but now he felt pressed to hurry his plans along.

The serving maid came over. She was a pretty little thing with blonde hair and a fine figure, but she was also the daughter of the local sherif and so to much trouble for him.

“More coffee Mr. White?” she asked, and he smiled at her and nodded.

“Thanks Billy,” he answered while she poured some more of the hot black liquid into his cup.

He was about 6’2” and in rather good shape. His hair was of a blonde that bordered on white and went to his shoulder. His goatee was short and neatly trimmed and his eyes of a steel grey that somehow clashed with his hair. He wore a neat grey suit with a shirt with the top button open. The matching tie was in one pocket not that he needed it.

He looked up as a bear slowly walked down the street towards the café, changed into a grizzled man in woodman’s clothing and entered.

Billy walked up to him, greeted him and asked, “the usual Dan?” and the shape-changers just nodded, sat down in a booth and looked up at the TV that now was showing a recap of the Red Sox game from last night.

Mr. White - as he was known here – leaned back and rubbed his temples.

Damn Lofwyr, had he to be so damn effective?

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Willow entered the little café with a slight bounce to her step. It was promising to be a wonderful day.

“Hi Willow. The usual?”

“Hi Billy and yes, please.”

Willow had been coming to this little café for a few years now. They made the most scrumptious, sinful cinnamon rolls Willow had ever indulged in. While she waited for her order, she idly glanced around at the patrons. Some old. Some new. Some quite handsome, if truth be told.

“Here you go, Willow.”

“Thank you, Billy.”

Willow paid for her coffee and cinnamon roll, striding out of the café as if she didn’t have a care in the world and she truly didn’t. Not today. Crossing the street, Willow headed for the park close by. About a block or two at the most. Her sneakers made little to no sound as she walked, enjoying sips of her coffee as she went. Finding an empty park bench, Willow set aside her small bag and her coffee, turning her face up to the sun and closing her eyes to better enjoy the heat the sun had to offer.

The year was 2000 and craziness abounded. Magic and shape-shifters abounded. It hadn’t been something that had abruptly happened. Magic, long ago, had disappeared from the world or so humans thought. Magic, like everything else in the world, did its own thing and listened to no one, well, maybe the exception of Natural Law and who truly understood that? No, magic and other beings had slowly interwoven themselves back into the world slowly. Not creating a fuss nor being overly dramatic. Still, Willow found the current world bustling and sometimes hectic. It was nice to take some time to simply enjoy the quiet moments that could be found. Willow made a point of keeping track of world happenings and something inside her, some alarm bell perhaps, kept tingling her senses. Something was happening even if she didn’t quite understand.

Her grandmother, from the time she had bounced Willow on her knee, had regaled Willow with tales of older times, especially the tale of four mighty dragons, siblings, who never seemed to get along and had, at some point, more than likely when magic had disappeared from the world, “gone to ground” never to be seen or heard of again. Grandma said she wasn’t fooled. They were still around and Willow needed to be always vigilant. Willow couldn’t understand why. What would four of the mightiest dragons have anything to do with her? Her grandmother had persisted and demanded Willow’s vigilance in this matter. Grandmother was said to have had the Sight so Willow promised. Here it was years later, her grandmother had passed from this world and Willow still found herself being vigilant. Habit. Pure and simple.

Inhaling deeply and slowly letting that breath release, Willow opened her eyes and picked up her coffee cup, sipping from it before she reached for the small bag with her cinnamon roll in it. Her mouth watered in anticipation. What more could she ask for? The day was bright and warm, not a cloud in the sky. Her coffee was hot and the cinnamon roll that was waiting to be eaten, smelled heavenly.

​

A wave of her hand over the small basin of water before her, Vivian dismissed the images she had been watching. The dragons were on the move and had been for quite some years now. Her eyes narrowed on her thoughts of Lofwyr, dragon of the West. He seemed to be the most ambitious. For what reason? The siblings, she knew, seldom got along. They had each scattered and laid claim to each of the cardinal points of the world, claiming each as their territory. Up until now, there had been little cause for concern. The dragons had been content to gather information and to study. What were they up to?

 

[Finadien]

He looked up as another customer came in and knew right away that this was an error. He wretched his eyes away and looked intently at the newspaper but it was too late. This had to happen now? Really? Could fate be so cruel to him?

The bonding was some kind of joke nature played with his kind. They were not able to resist it and could do nothing to prevent it. Fortunately, it happened so seldom that it hadn’t interfered with his plans for a long time but perhaps that was because his plans had been to lie low and do exactly nothing. It had to happen right now when he had to do something about Lofyrs plan, perhaps even had do contact their sisters and propose something that hadn’t been done in millennia, propose a truth?

But now this woman was in his head, his heart and elsewhere in his body as well. He hadn’t really seen her, couldn’t describe what she looked like or what she was wearing but even thought it was hard to think about anything but her.

He picked up the newspaper again and tried to read the article about Germany again. It took him 4 tries until he gave up, frustrated. He rubbed his temples and tried to think about going to Washington, trying to get into the government somehow but again his thought returned to her voice, the scent that still lingered.

The last thing he tried was pinching himself, not that he really could hurt this form, but the slight pain should help him concentrate. He imagined himself flying over to Europe, searching for the dragon of the west and wrenching him out of the sky .., with her on his back…

He had to get away from here and her. He got up, reaching into his pocket to pull out some dollars and put them on the table.

“Thanks Billy, have a nice day,” he said absently and walked out.

With a steady pace he walked away from the café, away from the woman and away from the complication she would bring to his life. He would leave this town, hide somewhere remote where no human could find him and meditate.

Nature laughed him in the face. He had reached the park in the center of town and there she was. He didn’t find her by sight, he found her by sense. He wanted to run away, hide, scream and roar but all this would be to no avail.

He stepped in front of her, looked down and examined this woman that now was linked to him in ways even he with his long experience didn’t quite understand.

“Hi, I’m Norman White, may I sit here?”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“Hi, I’m Norman White, may I sit here?”

His voice came just as she was about to put a piece of the cinnamon roll into her mouth. She glanced up as he blocked the sunlight from her, making her a little irritable.

“Sure, Why not?”

Willow scooted across the empty bench to make room for the stranger. Anything to get him away from blocking the sunshine on her body and speaking of her body, she felt something, like this tug and it was toward this stranger who had just asked if he could sit down on her bench. She had never felt anything like this before. Willow swallowed hard and looked down at the piece of cinnamon roll in her hand. Slowly, she set the piece aside and raised her face, eyes closed, toward the sunshine again before she answered him.

“Willow. Willow Harper. Have a seat. It’s a public bench after all.”

She didn’t open her eyes at all, just let the warmth of the rays sink into her skin. Ohhh, it felt so dang good. They sat in silence. Companionable silence. Something else she had never experienced before. There was this minimal turn of her head and eyes cracked open to look at him a moment before she turned forward again. He may be a stranger but he was pretty easy on the eyes, for sure. Still, she was wary. In today’s day and age, everyone should be. With all types of beings roaming the world, no one could afford to outright trust anyone. In fact, though the world was calm, there were undercurrents. She could feel them, couldn’t everyone? Everything these days made her cautious. So, despite this… this tug she felt toward this stranger, fear streaked through her. Who was this man and why was she seemingly drawn to him?

 

[Finadien]

He looked her up and down again and then sat beside her. Apparently it didn’t matter what he thought or did, she was his destiny and he had to accept that. He sighted but kept silent otherwise. She was enjoying the sun on her face and he was trying to calm down his thoughts and rearrange his plans. The last part was difficult because right now his thought were calm but mostly focused on her.

Where did she come from?

What did she like?

What were her plans for life?

What was her favorite food?

This should be easy.

“The cinnamon rolls are great, aren’t they?” He asked, pointing at the still untouched piece on her lap. He smiled at her with the friendliest face he could muster.

“Do you live here?”

He leaned back while waiting for her answer and enjoyed the sun as well. He may be from the north, but warmth was something he savored as much as any of his siblings.

The beating of his heart got a bit slower, and he found he could relax. He closed his eyes and as her proximity calmed him and bit by bit his ability to reason returned. He took in her scent and again looked at her, just basking in the beauty that was her face.

Then his thoughts returned to Lofwyr and slowly a plan formed in his head. To counteract whatever the Dragon of the West was doing he had to go to Washington and somehow get control over the US military and the CIA or at least part of it. He had to find out WHAT the old wyrm was planning and be ready for anything.

There was just one thing that was complicating things and he had to deal with it now.

“Ever been to Washington Willow?”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“The cinnamon rolls are great, aren’t they?”

Before she could even answer, he shot another question at her.

“Do you live here?”

Willow gave a soft sigh. Mr. White was one of those talkative people. She opened her eyes and turned her head to regard him with amethyst eyes as she tucked a wayward strand of her chestnut hair behind her ears. The color of her eyes would have made people wary, however, in today’s day and age, they were just unique. Somewhere in her gene pool she had inherited the color and it was from someone not human, that was for sure.

“Their cinnamon rolls are to die for. I try to get one once a week, at least and yes, I live not too far from here…”

And since it was twenty questions she also asked.

“So, you from around here, Mr. White?”

She felt confused by this invisible towards him. What in the blazes was going on? Willow had never experienced anything like it.

She was a slight girl. Slim, with rounded hips and a modest bust line. The amethyst eyes came from her mother’s side of the family. She never did get to ask her mother how they came by them. Her mother died from cancer when Willow was just seven. Since then, it had been her twin brothers and her dad. Then, when she was fifteen, her dad passed away in a car accident. After that, her brothers never let her out of their sight until she went to college and even then, they checked up on her frequently, much to her dismay. However, she understood and tried to have patience.

Willow could feel her heart beat slow and oddly enough; she had the notion that both their hearts were in sync. It was an odd thing to think, but she couldn’t help it.

“Ever been to Washington Willow?”

Her eyes widened.

“You mean Washington DC or the state?”

 

[Finadien]

“No, I’m from up north,” he answered, pointing roughly into that direction, a bit farther away.

He got lost in her violet eyes for much to long and forgot to answer any further question. The connection was growing stronger by the minute and now he had to deal with this complication. No she was NOT a complication, she was a lovely woman and he already felt his heart beat in rhythm with hers.

No, it was not love, at least not yet but he already so the potential for so much more. The question remained how open she was to the strangeness and danger he would bring into her life.

Then he remembered her last question.

“D.C., the capital, I realized that I have business there.” He thought about how to proceed best and decided against pulling her into a full fledge world wide conspiracy right away.

“I guess you can feel that there is something between us and I would like to explain that to you, but rather not here but at a place that is more … secluded.”

He held out his hand and put on his most friendly smile.

“Would you consider coming with we?”

He looked around to see if anyone was watching them. If she decided to run away or to decline his offer things would get difficult and he had to react fast. The park was deserted but it was in the center of town and people would see them if you carried her away from here which would make everything that much more complicated. If she really decided against trusting her feelings he would have to use a small amount of magic to make her drowsy or something like that.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Willow had opened the bag that held her warm treat, taking out the cinnamon roll and tearing off a piece. She was just going to take a bite when he said….

“I guess you can feel that there is something between us and I would like to explain that to you, but rather not here but at a place that is more … secluded.”

So, he had felt it too? She swallowed. The hand holding the bite of the delicious roll fell to her lap, unheeded for the moment. Her initial reaction was to deny it. She even opened her lips to do it, but she couldn’t. She didn’t lie. Not even to herself.

Norman White held out his hand to her. At first, she simply stared at it.

“Would you consider coming with me?”

Would she consider…. Willow gave her head a little shake to clear it. She seriously was not considering it, was she? Even as thoughts roiled through her mind, some part of her brain was actually considering it. With a stranger she had just met.

Canting her head slightly, she studied him, answering his question with a question. Or two.

“Mr. White? Are you some kind of pervert? I mean, we just met a few seconds ago. Why would you invite me to take a trip with you to Washington, DC?”

While she couldn’t believe what had just come out of her mouth, she wasn’t sorry. It sounded so suspicious, considering he had just sat down on her favorite bench just moments ago. Still, there was some small part of her mind that acknowledged this…this pull she felt towards him or the fact that he felt comfortable and that she could trust him with anything.

 

[Finadien]

“No, I’m not a pervert,” he laughed, “but I can understand your reluctance. The problem is I don’t have the time this usually takes and so I am as forward I can be without causing too much fuss.”

He again looked at here and saw her mind working. Of course that was highly unusual and especially in this day were monsters in human guise roamed the earth. And wasn’t he exactly that? A monster in human guise? He shrugged his shoulders and reached for the cinnamon roll in her lap. He took it very gently and held it out to her again.

“You shouldn’t waste such a delightful treat.”

Then he reached with his left hand for her hand and gently pulled her along. She wasn’t scared but wary, which was good. He was now sure that she wouldn’t run away or make a scene, but only if the continued to no overdo it.

He took a second to orient himself and then chose the route out of town that was fast but also well lit and didn’t lead through any seedy alley.

“And yes and no. Yes, we will go to Washington DC, but first we will go somewhere else where I can explain some things to you better and prepare you for what is to come.”

“You will take a step into a world full of wonder but also danger. A world where anything seems possible but only few things are prudent. A world that has more to offer then this.”

With that he pointed out the rural town they were in. The nearly picturesque buildings, the small shops and the people that walked near them and were oblivious to the things that were coming.

“You can walk aways from me and this new world,” he paused for a moment and thought if he really could allow that, “ but then you will feel this longing in you for the rest of your life and never get an answer.”

And he would be useless and could only watch as Lowfyr set the world on fire. And her. She would suffer as well and he realized that to chose between giving her the freedom she deserved and the security she didn’t understand yet was something he was not ready to do but wasn’t it his obligation?

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Willow was at odds within herself. He fascinated her for some reason and yet, rightfully so, she was wary. What to do. What to do. Before she could make up her mind, he was handing her, her cinnamon roll and gently tugging her to her feet. She knew she could pull away from him at any time, but something had her going with him.

Wonder and danger. What was she getting herself into here? Silently, she had to admit to herself that there was something about him that drew her. Yes, he was a stranger, one she only just met. He could be kidnapping her for all she knew. She munched on her cinnamon roll as they made their way out of town. She definitely couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.

“So, Mr. White, if you’re not a pervert are you a kidnapper, by any chance? I know it’s a fine time to ask such a question but you know, I don’t understand this pull I feel toward you. Something strange is going on here but I must warn you, I can defend myself if I need to. So, if we’re not headed for DC right away, where are we going? And am I going to be late for work on Monday?”

Her job. Yeah. She should have thought about that before she decided to take off with a handsome stranger.

Gads, Willow. The things you allow yourself to get into.

 

[Finadien]

“Yes, Willow, I’m a Kidnapper who asks very nicely.” He told her. “A kidnapper who even will buy you more of those delicious cinnamon rolls if you with it and much more.” He smiled at her.

When she inquired about her job he had to laugh.

“Yes, you will be late for your job on Monday, very late indeed. But I guess you won’t mind, at least I hope so. What I am about to show you will be much more exciting than any job you ever can have and what we are about to do together will be much more important as well.”

He chuckled as he finally led her out of the small town and into the wood.

“And parts of what we are about to do together will also be much more fun than any job you can imagine.” He frowned for a moment since he didn’t know anything about her sexual preference but hoped for the best, “at least I hope so.”

They reached a clearing a bit off the normal paths and he stopped there left her at the edge and told her: “Please stay here and wait a moment.” He took some steps towards the middle of the clearing and then turned around once more, “oh, and it would help if you please could refrain from running away screaming.”

With that his walked to the middle of the empty space and then he transformed into a dragon. The transformation was rather fast and smooth but still a process that could be viewed. First his clothes melded with his form, his hair turned a bit brighter and longer, finally engulfed his whole form and had a white sheen to it. Then it transformed into scales and during all that time he grew bigger and longer. Finaly a big white dragon stood there in the clearing smiling at her with teeth that were each larger then here and icy blue eyes.

“By the way,” his deep voice penetrated the silence of the woods, “my real name is Dracunos, I am the dragon of the north.”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Willow couldn’t help but laugh. The man was outrageous. She allowed him to lead her astray. They came to an isolated area and he told her to wait and not to go running away, screaming. She couldn’t make any promises but she waited.

Her eyes grew wide and round as he transformed. Her lips parted slightly in surprise. Her mind became a jumble of thoughts. He…he… he was a dragon! A white, blue-eyed dragon and he was gorgeous.

“By the way,” his deep voice penetrated the silence of the woods, “my real name is Dracunos, I am the dragon of the north.”

She felt like she should say something. Anything. She just couldn’t find her voice. Her cinnamon roll had fallen to the ground in her surprise. Why her? What could he possibly want with her?

The four main dragons in the world were at odds with each other. Willow had no idea why, that was before her time. They had been quiet for some time, but she had heard rumors. Not sure how many of those rumors held the truth and how much, if not all, were just that, rumors.

She took a step toward him without thinking and then another and another, until she stood just in front of his snout. Willow raised a hand to stroke just above his nostrils and then jerked her hand away.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

She swallowed and tried again.

“A pleasure to meet you, Dracunos, but why me? I’m nobody. Nothing special. Just someone trying to live my life.”

 

[Finadien]

Dracunos nearly laughed as she stroked him like he was an oversized deer.

“Why you? I don’t have a clue. Nature is strange in that way but when she selects a mate for a dragon it is always for a very valid reason. The last time I spoke to her she mentioned something about balance, empathy and the greater good, but I had a hard time understanding her. She speaks very slowly and even we dragons tend to get impatient with her sometimes.”

He tried to stretch his legs a bit in the clearing that now seems very small with him occupying nearly all of it.

“Part of it we have to find out together and unfortunately that takes time which right now is rather precious. But it cannot be helped. You see, we are bonded now and I cannot do much of the things I normally can do without you. Again, mother never really explained why that is the case. I will take you away from your old life and show you wonders you cannot imagine, but there is also danger involved.”

He took a small step towards her and then bend down his right shoulder, craning his neck forward and towards her.

“Yes, we have to go to Washington but first you need to know some things and I’m not willing to tell them here on this clearing, I would rather do that at home. If you would be so kind as to climb on my back? There is a spot on my neck that should be perfect for you.”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Willow blinked.

Did you say… ma—mated? Whoa. I’m sorry you can’t mean me. I—I---”

She took a little step back as he moved, lowering his shoulder and extending his neck toward her.

“Wait. Do you want me to---” she pointed to a spot between his shoulder blades. Her eyes turned from that spot to stare into icy blue eyes. She swallowed.

“You want me to climb on your back?”

So many things to think about. Things he had just dropped on her. She knew next to nothing about dragons. How much of what he had spoken of was the truth? But why would he lie? What could he possibly stand to gain by doing so? When she gazed into his eyes, she didn’t find any deceit there. She still didn’t understand but… it wasn’t exactly a graceful thing but she managed to climb onto his back. It wasn’t exactly comfortable but she was on a dragon! The mighty dragon of the north. Willow couldn’t resist. She laid her hand on his scales and slid her fingers along them. They felt smooth and warm.

"So, where are we headed now, Dracunos?"

Curiosity killed the cat....

Well., it was a damn fine thing that she wasn't a cat.

 

[Finadien]

“First the bonding, then the explaining and then the mating.” He told her and then winked. He knew how strange this would look, but she had to get used to that and the fact that she had not run away already showed him that this could work out.

When she climbed on his back it just felt natural. The thought alone to be dependent on a human had scared him just an hour or so ago but now it just felt natural, more than that it felt right.

He craned his neck and loosened his wing-shoulders to make sure she was sitting in the right place and then jumped into the air. They flew high above New England nearly straight northward. After some time they crossed the St. Lawrence River and then they went farther north over Canada, green tundra, ice peaked mountains and verdant woods. Then again water, this time the Hudson Strait. All the time he could feel her look around her in wonder. She could see planes here and there and they could perhaps see him with Radar at least but no human was so stupid as to attack a dragon. They had learned that lesson the hard way some years ago.

The reached land again but this time it was more barren. Dracunos remembered a time when this had been covered with ice most of the year, but humans had polluted the air with their need for fossil fuels and now it was just grey and brown here. But the great white finally came into view. The Auyuittuq National Park was still a beauty to behold. Fjords, glaciers, and ice fields met mountains and frozen lakes. This was his home, and he slowly descended.

In one of the mountains a whole gaped, only he could see it – and now she was well – since it was hidden by magic and no human had ever set foot inside his lair. He steered towards it and finally broke through the magic barrier to land in a cave that was his home and the seat of his power. There was the huge pile of gold and other treasure that he had collected over the millennia of his existence. This was another thing none of them understood. Where did the compulsion to collect riches come from? The funny thing was it was still gold and jewels they all craved. Money, as in paper or in some kind of electronic form, was a tool to be used, nothing worth collecting.

He bent down again to let her down from his back. During the flight his magic had protected her, and the cave really wasn’t that cold but he could see that she was shivering a bit and he had to get her onto his “other” home.

“Sorry about the cold,” he said, “but you have to get off my back so I can change back.”

With that his form shrunk and soon he stood before her again as she had first met him. He held out his hand and pointed around the pile of gold.

“We are nearly there.”

 

[DarkWarrioress]

When he took flight, she clutched his neck with a small squeal. Her body slid down and lay against his back as the wind rushed up to greet her face. Her eyes slammed shut and she was having trouble breathing for a moment. As her heart rate started to slow, she opened her eyes to peek over his massive body and saw the earth below. It was a wonderous sight. It was almost like flying in a plane except she wasn’t surrounded by the comforting support of metal instead, she was lying on the back of a dragon. A dragon. The great dragon of the North to be precise.

Willow tried to recall her history lessons. Four dragons, all brothers had been born into the world. When they came into their own, it was decided that each brother would take a cardinal direction and that would be his territory to govern. There had been a little grousing, but what brothers didn’t grouse at some point. It was unclear to Willow how it had been decided which direction would go to which brother. However, in the end, The Great White, Dracunos, on whose back she rode and who had proclaimed she was his mate, got the North. Lofwyr, got the West. The other two brothers, the one to East and the other to the South, were obscured by some magical veil OR they were keeping themselves, for whatever reason, off the world’s awareness radar. They would surface in time, Willow would bet on it.

Their gentle thump as they landed, bringing Willow’s own awareness back to the fore, made her look around. She slid from his back with a little help from him. She shivered a bit. Even this time of year, the far North was colder than sin and they were… in cave?

No sooner had she slid from his back than he returned to his human form. Holding out his hand to her, Willow automatically put hers in it without a thought.

“We are nearly there.”

Her eyes had tracked to where he pointed and she noted a pile of gold. Then she looked up at him, confused.

“Where’s there?” She asked, slightly amused.

 

[Finadien]

Dracunos led her around the huge pile of gold and to a small recess in the wall. There was a sliding door there that seemed a mix between something very old and stone carved and a modern elevator door. With a wave of his hand the door slid open to reveal a small, brightly lit chamber that really did seem like an elevator car. He stepped in, gently pulled her with him and with another wave the door closed, and they could feel the car rise gently. After a while the door opened again and they stepped out into something that seemed impossible here, in this barren icy wasteland.

The open living quarter seemed to stretch along the outside of the top of the mountain. Most impressive was the glass wall that seemed to reach from west to east. To the left there was a couch that looked very comfortable and faced a TV screen that was set inside a stonewall. Some comfy chairs around a low table complemented the living part of the open room. In the middle a larger table with some chairs looked like it was perfect for a meal or even some boardgames and farther to the right a huge fourposter bed with lots of pillows stood there ready for a good nights sleep or … other things. On the left inside wall there was a kitchen with an oven, a ridge and everything else someone might need to prepare meals. At the right of them stood a shelf which contained apparently some collectors’ items. An old helmet, a Chinese vase that looked even older, some ancient books and a beige cardboard box with the words “Dungeons & Dragons” on front and a signature on the right bottom corner.

Right beside the “elevator” where 3 doors, two to the left and one to the right. The one to the right led to a library that was somehow magically lit as soon as they entered. It contained rows upon rows of shelfs with books and a small desk with a chair on the entrance. The first to the left led to a room with one chair and lots of monitors and 3 keyboards. Dracunos walked over to hit the spacebar on one keyboard and some of the screens lit up to show scenes out of newscasts from around the world. The last room was a bath with a toilet on one side, a huge bathtub in one corner and a open shower with some handholds on another.

He led her back to the main room, pointed to the couch and asked her to sit. From here she had a good view of the slowly sinking sun in the west and the land below then. It was a frozen mountain range full of danger and beauty at the same time.

He stepped to the kitchen and started to fetch some things from the fridge and the cupboard.

“You must be hungry; I will prepare something to eat and then we can talk. Do you have any allergies or preferences in regard to food?”

What he had fetched was a bottle of native Italian olive oil, a pan and some vegetables and then he also got a pot filled it with water and started to boil it.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Willow stepped around the huge pile of gold, something that she knew quite a few people would give their right arm for. Yet, Dracunos didn’t even give it a look as he led her to a small opening in the wall that blended in perfectly with the mountain they were inside of. A door slid open to expose an elevator. They stepped inside and it silently carried them upward. When it stopped and the door opened, Dracunos, still holding her hand, led her into what appeared to be his living chambers. As she stepped from the elevator and he gently led her about, giving her tour, she was not only in awe, but confused. Everything he had spoken of before still had not sunk in.

“You have a lovely home,” she offered as they returned to main room and he pointed to a comfy couch inviting her to sit while he went to the kitchen.

“You must be hungry; I will prepare something to eat and then we can talk. Do you have any allergies or preferences in regard to food?”

Her eyes had been drawn to the large window and the setting sun. The sunset was spectacular from this view. It was hard to tear her eyes away from the glorious vista and seek out his face. Will shook her head.

“No allergies or preferences to speak of,” she offered softly.

She was dying to talk. To end this cloud of confusion she was floating in but he said they would eat first then talk. She could only take him at his word. Her eyes tracked him as he worked in the kitchen. No one, in the history of her life, had ever treated her as kindly as Dracunos had in just the short amount of time they had been together. Willow realized that, that was a sad state of affairs and it made her wonder if he would always be like this.

“Can I help with anything?” She offered.

 

[Finadien]

She was taking all of that rather well and so he decided that he could perhaps speed up some things. He pointed to a cupboard.

“There are Fusilli in there and over there is salt, “ he pointed to a shelf over the stove. “If you are so kind to cook them exactly 14 minutes? Oh and could you hand me the Scampi out of the freezer,” he pointed to the lover half of the fridge.

And so they started to prepare a simple meal together and he explained:

“I guess you have heard of us, the ‘four dragons of the earth’ powerful and mythical creatures, yadda, yadda, yadda.

“What we do not know is where we come from or what our purpose is. We are actually rather old, and I can remember a time when no humans walked the planet. There always had been a certain rivalry between us but most of the time we just went our separate ways. The earth is big and from that came the ‘of the north’, ‘of the west’ and so on.

“Some things are now widely known, and one of those is the ‘bonding’. With the advent of humanity, we learned to change our shape to fit into society and we were able to hide better. At first, we embraced this new form and went years only human form but since we do not age, we had to move about.

“Then the ‘Loss’ came. We somehow forget who we were and what we could do and just wandered around from tribe to tribe searching for meaning to our existence. That was the time when the first ‘Bonding’ happened. Lowfyr found a mate, and this brought back the memory of who he was. With him soaring the skies again we also remembered and were able to return to our true form.

“But the bonding had another effect as well. Lowfyrs power was diminished as long as his mate was not near, he wasn’t even able to fly without her on his back. Lowfyr being Lowfyr he tried to get rid of this ‘curse’ as he called it but found out that this was not possible. He had to ‘endure’ this ‘humiliation’ - as he called it – for nearly 500 years after which his mate and the bonding simply vanished.

“Over the millennia this happened to each of us from time to time but we yet have to find out why this is the case. We even convened at one point and petitioned mother nature to tell us something but even thou she speaks to us now and then; this time she was silent.

The pasta was just right, and the scampi finished and so he prepared two plates, uncorked a bottle of wine and went to the table to offer her a place from which she could see the last remnants of sunlight bathing the top of the mountains in a spectrum of orange and purple. He sat beside her and continued between bites.

“You see, being the mate of a dragon does have it upsides. You are immortal now and will not age. But no special powers beyond that I’m afraid.

He looked at her to see how she would handle all of this. He had so much more to tell her, and he hoped that it didn’t take that long for her to understand what he just told her.

And after he had told her everything, he knew the real work was just beginning.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“There are Fusilli in there and over there is salt.“

She followed where he pointed and stepped over to retrieve the items and setting them on to boil and noting the time as she did so. Reaching into the freezer, Willow found the frozen scampi and handed it to him. Keeping careful eye on the pasta, stirring it on occasion as she listened to him giving her information, she much needed.

When the time came, she drained the pasta and placed it into a bowl. She watched as he fixed their plates of food, uncorked a bottle of wine and directed her to chair that gave her a view of the setting sun. It was breathtaking. When he joined her, they began to eat and he continued his information.

“You see, being the mate of a dragon does have it upsides. You are immortal now and will not age. But no special powers beyond that I’m afraid.”

Her fork paused on the way to her mouth and she looked at him in surprise.

“I’m---” she swallowed gently, “I’m immortal now?”

Slowly her fork returned to her plate as she tried to absorb what he had just told her. The colors of the sunset spread across the sky. The Divine was truly glorious and she would have had a better appreciation for the scene before her if his words had not been ringing through her mind. As if she needed any special powers. Willow looked at Dracunos with not only wonder in her eyes but also regret. Being immortal had opened up all kinds of opportunities for her, she realized, but it was a two-edged sword. Eventually, all that she had known and those she loved would vanish as time took them from her and she wondered if she would fare with that knowledge. She also wondered about her place in his world and what her duties would be.

 

[Finadien]

“Uhm, actually partly immortal would he the better description. Or probably immortal?”

He shrugged and was impressed how well she was taking all of this. His last mate had run away as soon as she was aware that he was a dragon and he had to chase her from Scandinavia to Italy which had been rather tedious because he couldn’t fly and the roman expansion into what now was Europe didn’t help either. Yes, she had been quite fiery even after she had accepted her fate. He wrenched his thoughts back to the here and now.

“I told you that the first bond and the mate vanished after nearly 500 years and that has always been the case. The duration of the bonding varies greatly, the shortest I know off were 126 years and the longest over 2000 years. But the end is always the same. The bond is suddenly gone and the mate also. It is not as if she vanished before our eyes, it could be that she wandered off and lived elsewhere or that she crumbled to dust or something totally different, we don’t know.

He watched her eating for a while and realized what she was mulling over.

“Yes, I’m afraid the change in your life is pretty drastic and permanent. You cannot return to what had been before and will spend the rest of your life with me. Or the rest of your bonded life if there is something after the bonding I do not now of.”

He finished his pasta and when she was done as well he collected the plates and cutlery, walked over to the kitchenette, cleaned it and put it back again.

“Care for some dessert?” he asked, and without waiting he fetched two cups of ice cream from the fridge, got them spoons and pointed to the couch where they could sit more comfortably.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

So much information to absorb. Willow raised a hand to rub her temple. She was developing a headache. Still, she would not lose it. She would remain calm and grounded. Wisdom didn’t come when one was chaotic.

“Care for some dessert?”

She looked at him and smiled.

“Sounds lovely.”

He had gathered their dishes, washed and put them away. They were going to have to talk about things like that. Just not right now. As he returned with ice cream, she got up and resettled in the couch. Reaching up to take her spoon and one of the cups of ice cream.

“Dinner was wonderful, Dracunos. Thank you and dessert, “she held up her ice cream, “is a perfect way to end our meal. Tell me about your brothers. I mean, beyond what you’ve already said. You’re a white dragon. What color are they, for starters?”

She had a curiosity about all four of the great dragons. In some subtle way, she had always felt drawn to dragons, not necessarily for the four brothers. If truth be told, she found them slightly terrifying. Although, the more time she spent with Dracunos, the less frightened she became. When he had changed into his dragon form, she had fallen in love with his color and his eyes. Climbing onto his back and settling in for the flight had felt normal and right. Maybe that’s why she felt so peaceful with him. Now, she sat there, eating ice cream with him, it felt like the most natural thing. She still didn’t quite understand this whole immortal thing or even the bonding thing, but she just knew she was drawn to him without rhythm or reason. She had simply chosen to accept and follow her instincts.

“And now what happens?”

The questions kept pouring out of her mouth. She couldn’t help it. There were more of them bottled up in her mind but felt so jumbled that she couldn’t get them out.

 

[Finadien]

“My brothers?” he didn’t know if he really was ready to talk about them. But she had been very brave in the face of such tremendous changes and so it was only fair that he offered some more information.

“Lowfyr, dragon of the West is black. He tends to be very controlling and angry. If something doesn’t go his ways he reacts badly. Wakena, dragon of the south is green. He loves nature and tries to live in harmony with it.”

Dracunos face lit up in a smile as a memory came up.

“He even tried to switch to a vegetarian - or should I say vegan – diet once but that went rather badly for him.”

He grew somber once more.

“shuí guān xīn shè qū, red dragon of the east, is very community oriented. He wants to help people as much as he can. He is the one who lived amongst your kind the longest periods.”

He pointed at himself.

“I, Dracunos, white dragon of the north normally just wants to be alone. But I also try to keep an eye out for what the others do.”

He took the empty bowls, washed them and put them away as well. Then he went slowly but purposefully towards the bed with a slight mischievous smile on his face. He couldn’t help herself to tease her a bit.

“For what happens now…” he made a dramatic pause to see her reaction and then his smile got much more friendly.

“That depends a bit on you. You can sleep here; I prefer to sleep in my real form so I will return to the cave below. You can find anything you need in these cupboards and in the bathroom.

He pointed out the places he had indicated.

“If you really want to you can say goodbye to your family but I would prefer if you not did that. It is much easier for everyone if you just vanish.

“Then we have to get to Washington as I said. Lowfyr plans something and I will not just fly over there and confront him. This went badly too many times for me to be that stupid again. We have to infiltrate the intelligence community and try to get some intel on the things in Germany and then decide what to do. Since I cannot fly without you on my back and even concentrating on something other then getting near you if you are far from me will get harder you have to stay with me. In the past mates have shown to be adept at things they didn’t know about themselves so I’m certain you will be more then helpful in our undertaking.

He again looked at the bed.

“Oh, and yes, mate means mate. The bed is for more then sleeping, but you had to digest a lot today so I guess it is best if you rest.”

He nodded to her, turned around and slowly walked to the elevator, ready to stop if she wanted anything else.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

“If you really want to you can say goodbye to your family but I would prefer if you not did that. It is much easier for everyone if you just vanish.

“Then we have to get to Washington as I said. Lowfyr plans something and I will not just fly over there and confront him. This went badly too many times for me to be that stupid again. We have to infiltrate the intelligence community and try to get some intel on the things in Germany and then decide what to do. Since I cannot fly without you on my back and even concentrating on something other then getting near you if you are far from me will get harder you have to stay with me. In the past mates have shown to be adept at things they didn’t know about themselves so I’m certain you will be more then helpful in our undertaking.”

For her to simply vanish? That did not feel right to her. Her parents would worry. Her family would worry. It wasn’t something you did to those you loved and cared for. However, for the moment, she would let the status quo, be. There would be time later to deal with the issues her disappearance would cause.

“Oh, and yes, mate means mate. The bed is for more than sleeping, but you had to digest a lot today so I guess it is best if you rest.”

Her eyes went to the bed and then to his retreating back.

“Dracunos…” she called out to him.

At that exact moment, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say to him, just that she didn’t want to be alone in a strange place. Finding her courage, she spoke up again.

“Would you mind if I slept with you? I mean, downstairs.”

He liked to sleep in his dragon form and there would be no mating between them like that. Eventually, she’d get her head wrapped around the fact that she was a dragon’s bride at some point, just not tonight.

“I don’t want to be alone. Not tonight.”

 

[Finadien]

He stopped, turned around and looked at her. Now it was clear why she took all of that so well, she was fascinated with dragons. To her they weren’t some ancient dangerous beasts but creatures of myth and legend that had to be admired.

He laughed.

“You know, a mortal would be crushed if I just so much twitched during my sleep. It is different with you though. But it still will be cold.”

He thought for a moment and then walked to the cupboards beside the bed and fetched a bunch of blankets and pillows.

“We can try something.” He said and then led her to the elevator and down into the cave. As they left the small magical cabin he showed her the exact movements she had to make to open the door and made sure that she was able to use the elevator if she decided to sleep in the bed after all.

That done he handed her the blankets and pillows and changed into his dragon form. He walked over to the huge pile of gold, sidled into it and curled up a bit so she had a nook to place her and the blankets in.

“My body heat and the blankets should keep you warm enough and if that is not the case you know how to get up, so this should be okay.”

With that he winked at her, closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. This was going rather well all things considered.