[WP] "You venture into the dragon's den weekly, coming out unscathed, but with no treasure to speak of. Why?" "They're lonely and like having someone to have tea with."
“What would I do with a dead dragon and a cave full of treasure?” Deirdre asked. She took the kettle off the stove and poured the tea into the large steel bottle she took to Marteus’s cave.
“You would be rich!” Helia said. “So, unimaginably rich. You could buy the town, perhaps the whole county.”
“Alright. Let us assume that I go back next week and kill poor Marteus,” Deirdre said. “Let’s paint a picture of what would follow. I would be hailed a hero for a few days, although we lose far more animals to illness than we do to Marteus.”
“You would have the treasure, too,” Helia insisted.
“Would I?” Deirdre asked. “Following the dragon’s death, there will be an unguarded cave full of treasure. Small hills of gold and precious gems, endless paths in the cave all filled with art and antiques from centuries ago. The townspeople would raid the cave and carry home all they can. They will ransack the cave like bandits, unless I guard it night and day. And I cannot guard it night and day. Killing a dragon would leave me exhausted.”
“You could enlist the help of a few men,” Helia said.
“Men?” Deirdre asked. “Men tell me each week that I must not go to the beast, as I am just a frail young woman. Men, who do not dare go near Marteus because they would piss their trousers if they heard him roar. One of them would proclaim themselves as my protector, or my better, and go for the lion’s share of the treasure. The other men would give justifications for their greed. They need more gold as they have families, as they will need to pay dowries for wives, as they will need to raise children. As if my life is worth less and will need less because I am a woman.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“You are too distrusting of people, Deirdre,” Helia said.
“I am merely stating what I can see will happen. When the winter comes, and the migrating wyverns rampage here, because Marteus will not be there to run them off, the townspeople will turn me into the villain. I will become the foolish girl who killed our protector.”
“That will not happen,” Helia said lightly. “You are ever so paranoid.”
Deirdre shrugged. Along with the tea, she packed a few of her strawberry pastries, wrapping them in cloth and placing them in wicker basket.
“You’re right. I could marry one of the young men in the town and settle down. Then whatever wealth I gain will become his to control. Whatever fame I have will be erased over time, as I become a housewife, as I become a mother. I do not want such a life, and I certainly do not need it.”
“So you will continue to have tea with the dragon?” Helia asked. “What if he eats you?”
“People are treacherous, Helia,” Deirdre said. “Marteus is fair. He punishes thieves, he protects himself against those who wish to harm him. Have you noticed that none of the livestock have been killed by Marteus since we’ve begun to have our tea? He pays me for the livestock he needs to eat, and he pays me well. He pays me for the tea he does not drink, because he enjoys my company. It is a handsome sum. It is a sum I can carry home in my skirts, without the men knowing.”
“But you could have it all!” Helia insisted.
Deirdre shook her head. “Maybe someday, Helia. By the time Marteus and I are both old, I might empty that cave, bit by bit. For now, I am happy with my tea and my friend.”