[https://i.imgur.com/zIfYdqC.jpg]

The children did not settle in the inn but in the cave around the fire and especially under my wings.

I had the impression of brooding. To love and be loved is the most beautiful thing in the world.

It was soft and caulked in my cave. The light was given by the fire and the embers.

The shadows made by the fire on my back spikes made saws and garlands move on the stony ceiling and every night it was the same comedy :

They settled in the inn or the tower and then Emilie came, sucking her thumb in her mouth and with her sheepskin and then she slipped between my body and the wing and then it was Aurora and then the boys followed.

There were 12 of us and when there was no more room on the left, it was on the right. or in the curvature of my tail. Then one day when it was windy, we couldn't hear the voices well and we snored all together...

And,.. the door opened slowly...

Juliette saw the children sleeping on the edge of the fire next to a big black mass that had escaped under skins and children on it.

Then he was followed by Henri and the padre and an escort. In the corridor and the tower, the weapons were shining and the armors sparkled on their easel.

They sat down by the fire in silence so as not to wake everyone.

Juliette: "Aurélie, Aurélie, are you okay? I'm glad you're better. Have you seen Marc?

We have to thank him and compensate him for taking care of you."

Aurélie wakes u slowly... half asleep...

Aurélie :"Marc is here and he is sleeping. Don't wake him up or he will scold us."

Juliette :"And Marc is nice to you?"

Aurélie and the other children : "Yes, he is very nice to us. He is our daddy now. He gives us food and teaches us to read and count."

"Sleep with us" answered the adult.

"Tomorrow we will try to make bread with Marc and he will make us cakes when we have milk. He will try to catch cows so that we have milk and cheese."

Juliette: "But Emilie, I know you, you were captured by the black dragon in the mine village!"

Emilie: "Yes, too bad for Daniel. Marc arrived a few seconds too late.

And he killed the bad dragon! He freed us, washed us, healed our wounds with his big tongue and brought us back here.

As we had nowhere to go we stayed with him and he took care of us."

Padre:" Good evening, my little one. Mark is very good at killing a dragon! Nobody has succeeded except for dragon hunters, but few survive and there are not enough of them.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

We will celebrate in the village of Marc for his victory when we have the proof!"

Marc brought his skin and head back ..

Children :"It dries on the tower but we will see it tomorrow morning.

There is bread here, and honey, and water and eggs. We have a lot of meat if you want some."

"It will not be refused".

Then the 4 adults sat down near a torch and a brazier and tasted a deserved meal.

Me, through the fire, I did not move and I observed, my eyes almost closed but alert.

They settled down, leaning against my tail, buried by the skins.

Soldier: "How nice it is here. I've never seen so many tanned hides and everything is well sealed. There's no draught and it's warm."

The next morning, everyone got up and the padre, without seeing or knowing that I was a dragon,

said to me: "Marc, I know you are watching me and Henri and Juliette told me that you didn't want anyone to see you.

You saved little Aurélie. You brought her fever down and Emilie explained to me how to make cold, ice. It's not magic or witchcraft but it's ingenious.

And your honey cream, delicious. But to have so much game, so many skins, you have to be a good hunter and you are 11 years old? There are many of you! And then I want to see the head of that dragon you killed. Come, show yourself without fear. The soldier is outside."....

Me, still hiding under the skins : " Padre, I rebuilt the chapel and I am a Christian. In my family we celebrate all the Christian holidays, but I am afraid to show myself...

A month ago I was playing with friends and I entered a cave. I am 11 years old and I can read and write. I am just a child.

Please don't kill me. I have never hurt anyone. I have never stolen or hurt anyone.

Will you promise me, in the name of the Lord, not to kill me or have me killed?"

Padre: "I swear!"

Then the padré felt that the stone on which he had slept began to move and stood before him a huge black and white dragon, with his neck and head on the ground so as not to frighten too much!

"Divine Goodness", said the padre!

"What are you?"

Me :"Padre, I'm a dragon. but a child inside. I swear and make the sign of the cross that I mean no harm to anyone."

Padre stepped back facing me and I didn't move so as not to panic him. And he came out and he saw the head of the black dragon on a spike, the skin drying in the wind.

Then instead of shouting at the soldier, he changed his mind and saw that I was still there. He took a deep breath and changed his mind.

"Marc, you killed that dragon?" asked the man from the church.

"You are a dragon so why did you kill it?"

Me : " It was a cannibal monster! It was eating a child, gnawing its leg off while it was still alive, and they chewed it off when I came near. They disgust me.

If the dragons are all the same, they are monsters and we have to eliminate every last one of them."

"And that's the only reason?" Padre asked

"You can come out. Sooner or later they would have found out anyway." (Padre)

I went out in the sun and my scales were shining brightly. I looked at the sun like the padre and sat down next to him.

"At the salt mine I buried a hundred skeletons and I have put stones with the names of the unfortunate people engraved on them.

Many soldiers died and they had families, children. Now there are widows in misery and children in hunger. I never asked for this and all I would like to do now would be to swim in the lake with my friends and then I will go out to explore the world and if I see a dragon doing harm, I will stop it. Even if I have to become a hero! or a knight."

Padre: "But you are a dragon!"

Me: " I don't care about being a dragon, I'm me and my name is Marc."

"So, Mark, we are inaugurating the chapel? Will you show me what you have built?"

"Come, Father, it's here!"

I went down the steps of the tower and we arrived at the porch. The chapel was an enclave in the wall and allowed shelter even with the doors closed.

It was a clever and original style.

" Why the arches were ribbed and not round?" asked the old man.

"With the Romanesque windows the walls are thick and the lateral pressure is terrible.

With spindle windows, the pressure is reduced and you can go up in height.

In Romanesque God is therefore Light. In Fuseau God is Mathematics, In Balance.

Here is the cross that I have rebuilt and here is the Christ that I have cut with my claws."

Padre:" It is stylized and shows his suffering."

Me :"Yes, and here I have put the heart and the tabernacle with a carved and sculpted wooden chalice and an amphora containing wine and a cup to hold hosts or bread.

Here a font for the sign of the cross and here a baptismal font."

Padre: "I see your efforts Mark, and I will give you a chance. We have been well received and you have performed miracles.

Here you are free and few people come. You are relatively safe, but there is the Earl Hagen and every construction has to be approved and sooner or later they will come here."

"Padre, I'm not interested in gold, but can we buy back the ownership of the castle?"

Padre: "You are serfs and you are not even human. Only nobles and ecclesiastes are allowed to own land. The farms can be confiscated or razed at any time."

Me: "So what if the village was under the protection of the church, like an orphanage with an armoury/forge and an inn? I would hunt and protect the place!"

Padre:" but you need a lot of gold!"

Me: "I have some and it's for the children."

"Ok!", said the Padre." Let's go bless this chapel."

The children took some bells and incense and the Padre took out of a box a silver christ with a glass and a bone in it.

After having made the chapel sacred he made the sign of the cross and with each movement the bells rang and the incense was scattered.

The courtyard was filled with smoke that made me cough and a sheaf of flames came out of my mouth and the fog dissipated.

I gave the padre a gold purse and provisions for his return trip. after exchanges with Henri and Juliette. Aurélie finally decided to stay here and run the inn.

It was renamed :" L'auberge du dragon." (The Dragon's inn)