February, for that was what she had been renamed, peeked at the wizard when she was sure he wasn't looking at her. He was a tall man, her father. Taller than her mother and leaner, too. His beard and hair were a bunch of well-groomed crow feathers. Under the bird mask he wore, she caught the sight of two brown irises much like her own.

Despite the familiar feeling that made her avert her stare from the man's eyes, she found herself feeling a pinch of joy. Back in the Sky, she had been singled out for her unusually opaque eyes. Down here, that was normal.

Very few things glowed on land. The sun warmed the land and from atop the hill they had stopped in to rest, February could see the Shimmering Sea, honoring her name with the white sparkles on her surface. They reminded here of the star dances she attended back home-

No.

Home was now here. That gray stone tower, the man sitting at her side. Those were her home. Her mother had left that very clear.

Despite herself, she sighed.

"Something wrong?" Asked the wizard - her father.

"No," she said, "I was just smelling the flowers," they were lovely flowers there, red and pink and orange with perfumes that were rarely found in the Sky. She rose up from the stone that served her as a seat, "I'm ready to keep going."

"Very well. Lerrelth doesn't live too far away from here."

That's right, their walk was supposed to take them to a dragon's den. With that thought, she smiled.

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By the time they arrived at a cave in a cliff, the moon and February's eldest aunt had already taken their place above them. The wizard held her hand again as they descended through curiously stair-shaped stones in the otherwise naturally carved space. He summoned a little blue flame, a will o' the wisp, to light their way.

She was breathless by the time they reached the deepest part of the cavern, but even if she hadn't been, what they found there would have affected her the same way.

Everywhere but the entrance they stood on was covered with golden objects. Crowns, scepters, weapons, pieces of jewelry and coins, lots of coins. She could tell they were all true gold because they emitted a slight warmth, something absent in the fairy metals they used back hom- back in the Sky.

Laying in the center, slept the dragon.

She was of scarlet scales with a noble face in peaceful rest. She had spines along her back, down to the tip of her tail. And she was big. Big as a Void Whale, or even bigger. If she extended her wings to their full span, she surely was bigger than that.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Despite her previous enthusiasm, February took a step to partially hide behind the wizard. Then, he coughed, loud and clear, and the girl jumped in place.

The dragon opened a pair of green slit eyes and stretched a long neck. Smoke came out of her nostrils in an exhalation. February realized she was staring at the beast with an open mouth.

The majestic, winged creature looked at them. And looked. Her eyes opened even more wide and...

Little puffs of smoke floated away from the dragon's mouth as a sound like sizzling filled the cave. It took her a while to stop, and by that point, February realized the sound was laughter.

"Oh, my, my how the tables turn," said the dragon, in a very appropriate contralto voice, "Look at little October and his even smaller daughter. I never thought you'd have the courage to go up there and demand that fairy to let you see her."

"You're still sharp Lerrelth, but that wasn't what happened," said October, taking off his hat and bowing his head slightly, "Her mother sent her here without me knowing, and it doesn't seem like she'll be going back anytime soon."

At seeing the gesture of reverence of her father, February tried a curtsy. I'm not going to lose balance, she thought. And somehow, thinking it hard enough helped her.

"I see she has the modals of her mother's kin. But what do you mean she isn't coming back?"

For some reason, February didn't want to hear what she had explained to the wizard from his own lips, so she hurried and said, the words quick as hares: "S-she told me I was embarrassing her and that I shouldn't come back, lady Lerrelth."

Lerrelth lowered her head to be at their level, her eyes squinting a bit. "As expected of a Void fae. What surprises me is that she took so long to understand that a half-fairy child would never be the perfect doll full-blooded fairy children are. Still, what a cruel fate, little one, and all the more cruel for sending you with the mess of a man that is your father."

"Thank you Lerrelth. I like to consider myself somewhat of a beautiful mess. But I don't think that's what you meant." October responded.

The dragon did what could have been considered quirking an eyebrow, if she had any, "Well? Have you come all this way just to present her? Or do you have any questions?"

October took a deep breath, then let it go, "I came to ask for help. Being a beautiful mess isn't the best qualification for being a father, and since you raised so many of your own kids-"

"Seven of them."

"Yes, seven. So, I was wondering if you had any advice." He rubbed the back of his neck.

He seemed a bit like a silver crab out of the celestial rivers, thought February, as he reached for his bag and took out the shiny sunshine pie she had taken a slice of.

It made something click inside her. It came to her that this man didn't know her. He had her, then left her with mom with no expectations of them ever meeting. And yet he had let her into his home, given her food, and now was asking an experienced dragon mother for help to take care of her.

Maybe he's doing it out of obligation.

But she understood that even if that was the case, she could still grow to love him as her father. Just as she still loved her mother. The question now was: would he love her too? Or would his love banish one day like fairy gold, and February would end up in a third home?