We spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other's company and talking about this and that.
“...Like I said, you can stay at my place as long as you want, but please keep my house in order and don't make a mess here, alright?”
“Of course! In fact, I can even help clean up if I have to. For your information, I've never stayed on as a useless freeloader!”
“Well, in that case…”
He picked up my taser which I threw last time and handed it to me.
“...you can start now by getting that thing as far away from my eyes as possible.”
“Oh… right!”
I was about to shove it deep in the bag when:
“Shoot…”
“What is it?”
“I left my bag for those things to chew on," — I said, heartbroken
“Well, then you'll have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Sure… if there will be even anything left of it by then.”
“If there's no food supplies in there, nothing should happen to it. Night wolves are voracious creatures, when they see prey, they go for it. Anything that isn't food doesn't interest them at all.”
I just hoped that books and paper were no edible to them, because then my bag was finished.
“And in any case, you did the right thing to leave the bag to them and not yourself. Possessions can be replaced. Life can not.”
I started increasingly doubt that this man was really *just* a muscleman. He was more like an old sage.
While I pondered that, Grynoth walked into the next room. Soon I heard the boiling of hot water, then, his head appeared from around the corner:
“You smoke?”
“No, but if you want to do it yourself, I don't mind," I replied, anticipating what the next question would be.
“Good. Continue not doing that.”
He nodded and disappeared again. While he was gone, I decided to take another look at the shelf for anything to grab my hands and feast my eyes. The gaze immediately found several books authored by humans. Finding the “Flaming Crest” on the cover again, I couldn't resist taking it off and making sure it was really it, even though I knew it was. The same characters, the same illustrations and the same language... a story of betrayal, redemption, hope and love - just as I remembered. About a young professor dedicating his life to ending a war between rulers who were once his students.
Meanwhile, Grynoth appeared from the next room. I hesitated, but he just waved his hand:
“You can have it for good, I don't mind. By the way, this is for you,” — he said, handing me some kind of potion — “For calming your nerves. We both need it after today.”
“Heh, tell me about it…”
I noticed that in his other hand, he was holding a pouch of tobacco. To think that we have electronic cigars now and they still have tobacco... just like the old days.
But that was not what was worrying
“By the way, I was wondering: why would you want to ruin your own health with that stuff when you can make potions like this?”
“Eh, I still have plenty of it," — he shrugged, "for dragonkin, one century is still only half a life.”
I stood there for a few seconds, simultaneously feeling bewilderment, disbelief, denial, and more. He was talking so calmly about something that was beyond fantasy to me… and now it was so real I began to doubt the reality of what was happening. What if I was already dead and this was all just my posthumous dream?
What finally killed it was the way he lit the tobacco — just put it to his mouth and breathed on it.
“So you can breathe fire, too?”
“Not much. As a built-in lighter, it'll do.”
“Amazing…”
“Still think we're not real?”
“I'm honestly not sure of anything anymore, not that you're real, not that I am.”
At these words, he came over and tapped me lightly on the forehead with his knuckle.
“Ow. Why.”
“For all good things," — he said with a smile, — "and also to make you realize that I am a flesh and blood creature like you. Then he ruffled my hair and continued, "Okay, let's go talk to you about important stuff.”
“Sure!”
I calmed down to a point I felt I was ready for any sort of conversation.
***
A hide-in-the-corner is certainly no couch, but hey — I've had to sit in worse places.
Sitting up close to the scaly giant steel felt surreal, but I definitely didn't mind. Part of me wanted to lean towards him, but I decided to wait for a more suitable moment.
“So…” we said together.
“You can start first," said the dragon.
“Well, I'd like to ask about you," I admitted.
“As you wish, but preferably choose something specific: a full autobiography would take me a night or more.”
Thinking for a moment, I asked:
“You're... like a warrior, right? You fought like a beast. It was pretty cool, I must say. A real badass!”
“Something like that, yeah, but former. Served as a mercenary, bodyguard, foot soldier and a hitman. Terrible job — all of them, so I left the first chance I got.”
“So… did someone make you do it?”
“Life. Everyone wants to eat and live, after all.”
Taking a puff, he continued:
“We... had enough wars. I’ve come along way to live in a fancy house like that.”
“Well, at least all's well that ends well," I said, trying to cheer him up, "now you're enjoying some well-deserved comfort, so hey, it's not that bad!”
For some reason, a reaction to such a small compliment was quite weird. It seems I’ve somehow made him sad again, so he has changed the subject quite abruptly.
“You were good too,” he said, “you were quick to act and figured out where the night wolves' weak spot was, and even overcome your fear when one of them jumped on you.”
“Ah... heh, thank you. Fencing and hunting are mandatory training for every nobleman. It's been a tradition since, well, forever. Hunting is still considered a pastime of the nobility, so everyone must be skilled in this art in order to participate.”
“Well, thank the gods for preparing you for this ordeal... and yet you should have obeyed me and run away when I gave you an order — I mean, told you to.”
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“Yes, I know. But I couldn't leave you, especially after, well, everything that happened.”
“While I'm glad to hear it, you almost made it worse. I had to keep looking at you constantly to make sure you were okay, and when the wolf jumped on you the second time, I almost stopped my heart... I thought you were dead.”
“...I'm sorry.”
‘Why does it always get worse when I want to help someone? It's not right…’
“Next time — please, listen to what the older people tell you to do. There is a reason they are considered an authority to younger ones.”
To think that somewhere earlier that day I would most likely reply something along the lines ‘I will do whatever I want, no adult dares to order me around’… oh how quickly times have changed.
“Of course.”
Gry took another puff, while I munched on my cooled drink.
“Do you humans have military conflicts?” — He asked, — "if you are feeling comfortable talking about it.”
I suddenly realized how difficult it was for me to answer that question.
“No… but yes.”
I saw Gry staring at me incomprehensibly.
“So...which one is it?”
“You see, I've gotten used to the fact that conflict will haunt living things all the time... only instead of iron and steel, our weapons are now made of paper and ink.”
“Oh...so you use non-lethal methods of conflict resolution?”
“The vast majority. Our world has gotten pretty corporate. So now our investors... ehem, I mean generals, fight amongst themselves meeting at the pool table smoking cigars like old friends... when in fact they are studying each other and gathering information that would allow them to outmaneuver their opponents. And when they stop benefiting from each other, their relationship just bursts like a bubble and disappears without a trace.”
I fell silent, and after Grynoth made no comment, continued:
“Sometimes I wonder if I'm just as self-serving... what if I'm just taking advantage of your help now just for a free night's lodging?”
“Want some advice?” — Gry replied, — "Don't think. You'll go crazy if you dwell so much on self-reflection. You've realized your imperfections and let it go if you can't control it. Just make a mental note of it and try to be better. That is all. After all...we all have selfish goals to some extent.”
Suddenly he stood up and went to the table to get an ashtray.
“And yet... if you realize how bad it is, why do you lie? Of course, I realize that you yourself have no dishonest goals and you are not hurting anyone, but... why?”
“Oh… it's a long story.”
“If so, you can save it for tomorrow. Or not tell it at all, though I am interested to hear it.”
“No, it's okay. Anyway, uh.”
...
My backstory actually isn’t particularly dramatic. I was born into a noble family, lived comfortably, and had everything I wanted. But as I grew older, I began questioning the world around me. Our society, though peaceful, still suffers from inequality, corruption, and excess. The arrogance of the nobility disgusted me, and I grew ashamed of my background.
Things got worse when my father pushed me into a life I didn’t want, particularly forcing me toward a legal career. Our relationship soured, and eventually, I left home, taking my camping gear and escaping to live the vagabond life I'd always dreamed of, inspired by adventure books.
At first, things were rough. I dealt with scams and theft, but kind strangers taught me the skills I needed. I kept my noble origins a secret, spinning wild tales to avoid suspicion. Despite the hardships, I found life as a wanderer easier than expected, learning to appreciate the simplicity and kindness of ordinary people. Yet, I couldn’t stay anywhere for long—the search parties sent by my father kept me moving.
Though I enjoyed the freedom at first, the lies began to weigh on me. I distanced myself from people, afraid that if they knew the real me, they’d reject me. My fear of rejection grew, and despite fleeing from a society of phonies, I became one myself.
The real reason I lied to Grynoth? It's a habit now. I've become lonely, and so I hoped the dragon realm would me something I truly craved deep down — a chance for a real fresh start.
…
“So you have a complicated relationship with your father? I mean… “daddy issues”?” — Grynoth asked.
“Daddy issues?! I hate him! He's a jerk who thinks it's okay to impose his own ideals on his kids! I have to make a career, earn a house, promote the family name, and give birth to grandchildren, and this and that... and not once did it dawn on him that maybe, *just* Maybe they have their own hopes and dreams! And his political views are a mess. He sees immigrants as crude barbarians, women as nothing more than accessories for men, and he's about to sign a petition to have us ready our guns to wage the war on you guys! "Their brute strength will make them excellent serfs and their magical knowledge will serve us well as engines of progress." We've worked so hard to ban slavery once and for all and he wants it all back! I despise him.”
I was already afraid that I said too much, but Grisha only laughed.
“Whoah. he's got a real general's attitude, I see! Well, I suppose we'll all be running for our lives when he comes for our heads!”
“Tell me about it. The dude decided to have some fun on his anniversary.”
Suddenly, Grynoth grew dark, took another puff, and said:
“And mine threw me out on the streets when I was still a hatchling.”
“Wait, for real!?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I don't remember why he did it, but I think it's easy to guess: He probably just wanted to get laid. And the son was just an… *extra*. And then when he realized how much trouble it was to raise someone, he just decided to get rid of him.”
“How… how dare he… wait a minute, what about the laws? What were the child protection organizations doing in the meantime? Or whatever you guys have?”
“What are you even talking about, human?” — Grynoth laughed bitterly, "Have you forgotten that we're stuck in the Middle Ages?”
‘Do they have the same lawlessness as modern dystopian literature...?’
“I mean…”
“We have always needed to restore justice and stand up for ourselves. Even now, our kingdom is infinitely far from solving such problems, because they are so insignificant to it.”
“I… It’s so horrible! I didn't know…”
I noticed that I had just made an absolute clown of myself. After all, I am unbelievably far removed from their civilization and how it works.
“Eh, it's no big deal. You're new here, so it's hard to blame you. But as you can see, I'm still alive and in one piece, so it's not all bad.”
…
I didn't even notice how it was already nightfall and my eyes were starting to slip, and we were still sitting cuddled up in the corner.
I suddenly felt like a kid, about five years younger, and the strange thing was that, despite how much it used to piss me off when people treated me like one, I didn't mind it one bit. I was even happy that this green giant had decided to take care of me, just like that, without asking for anything in return: he didn't owe me anything, and yet he'd decided to take me in... even though I knew it wasn't true, I allowed myself to fell into delusion, fantasizing that all dragonkin were so benevolent. How could I not believe in a miracle after all that had happened?
“...I wondered if I had done the right thing in choosing my own path over the one that was imposed on me. After all, if I had stayed at home, I could probably have become someone who would have helped other people on purpose…”
“Why is it so important to you?” — Grynoth asked suddenly.
“Why not though... I'm a nobleman, after all, it's our duty to help people weaker than us.”
“Do your laws have that rule or something?
“What about yours? Do you guys have it in your laws that elders must take care of the younger ones regardless of their race?”
Grynoth grinned.
“Wha?”
He stood up for a second to throw away his prehistoric cigar then went right back to his seat.
“You know, I wish our nobility had that kind of self-awareness.”
After a pause, he continued:
“Do you want to? Without any rules or principles?:
‘There are those weird questions again…’
“Yes. No.”
“There you go with your weird answers again.”
“But how else can I answer?... If I could magically solve all our problems at once, I'd love to do it. But to go into all the intricacies and get the proper education?... I'm not ready to devote my life to that.”
“Well, then why do you bother?”
Pausing he continued:
“The kind of help you're referring to is real hard work... also one that is both dangerous and thankless. There's nothing wrong with wanting a simpler, more ordinary life. Who you are born as should not determine your path in life. So if the road of adventure calls to you, so be it... with a few conditions. But we'll discuss them tomorrow.”
“Say, Gry…”
It took me a little courage to ask that question... although after not dying I guess I would have the courage for most ordinary things now.
“Just… hypothetically… would you travel with me?”
“Aiming for the top, hmm? - he smiled.
“Well, Yeah! What kind of adventurer am I if I don't set big goals for myself?”
“Well, I respect that... but ambition alone won't convince me that easily.”
“...uh...clue?”
“Well, isn't it obvious? Prove yourself. Prove to me that you're not a mama's boy and can take care of yourself. I'll teach you a few tricks and then we'll see if you can put them into practice.”
“You think I came all this way being a mama's boy?”
“No, but when you have such a *very* convenient partner like me around, you'll probably find it hard to resist the temptation of taking *most* of your burdens on me. But if you earn my respect, I'll go with you to the ends of the world.”
“In that case, let that be my goal for the near future. I'll prove to you that we humans are also capable of standing up for ourselves. I'll die, but I'll prove it. Prove… it. Prove…”
As I my fatigue finally caught up to me, I didn’t finish the sentence
In my sleep, I remembered how I had thought of myself, king of the mountain, this morning when I had climbed that unfortunate hill. I felt funny: only now I realized how actually miserable I had been then, and how happy I felt now. So much so that if this creature decided to roast and eat me now, I probably wouldn't even mind.
'I hope that doesn't happen, though. After all, my new adventure is about to begin, and I'm curious to see where it takes me. What are the other dragonkin really like? Are they benevolent people, or are they barbarians? Or benevolent barbarians? Is this a thing? Whatever it is, I need to discover that.'
With these thoughts in mind, I fell into a deep slumber.