“I can’t tell you the reasons why, but it just doesn’t feel right to me.” Said Mavis looking at the elegant decor. She and Cantrell were standing inside the huge living room of the home of a large estate. It had once belonged to Argent’s brother Tempton and his wife Ulaire. When they had perished, both slain by dragons, it had hereditarily passed to Ardwynn’s ownership. It would most certainly have been inherited by her brother Quinton instead, but Esmarilla had fought him and stomped him deep into a muddy lakeside hole. He had not survived. He had been trying to wield the semi-sentient sword Mortimer against her at the time. Esmarilla had been fortunate that Mortimer had not been cooperating with him. The sword's previous and hereditary owner, Siophra, had certainly used Mortimer to very deadly effect since then. Siophra had bequeathed Mortimer to her nephew Mandel after her last fight. Presumably, the sword was in agreement with that. Cantrell could not help but wince as he looked at the sword, now hanging unobtrusively at Emperor Mandel’s waist, as Esmarilla’s memories of that fight replayed in his mind through the bond.
“What do you think, Cantrell?” Mavis asked him. She raised an elegant eyebrow at his apparent zone out.
He returned to the present, marveling at how beautiful she looked standing in this elegant room.
”Look, I know it’s not perfect, and how you still feel about Ardwynn”, said Mandel, interrupting Cantrell’s answer. “But Lothinar promised me that she’s not coming back. You both have been and continue to be extremely helpful to me here in the capital, and you do need a place to live that’s big enough for the dragons.”
“The barn is too small,” protested Mavis.
”I’ll pull a crew off the rebuilding of the library, and we will have you a proper double-sized dragon barn up in a couple of days.” Countered Mandel.
“Cantrell?” Both of the twins said simultaneously, surprising them both and resulting in their laughter.
“Hey, I moved to Tasumakoji and the lake to avoid these kinds of decisions. I’m a country boy now.” He said.
”You don’t have to stay here year-round. You did hear the part when I said that I was giving it to you, right? Emperors prerogative. You are my sister, and at least until I have children, my heir, Mavis.”
Cantrell looked at his bride. He could tell that the last part had surprised her. It had surprised him. That statement brought Cantrell a cold shiver, especially as he thought about all the implications of Mandel's vulnerability if Argent’s actual heirs decided to renege on their hasty toast.
“You had better get busy with having those kids then,” said Cantrell. “Or find another less dangerous occupation.”
”What would I even do? I was born for this.” Said Mandel with a laugh.
”Have you ever considered Real Estate?” Asked Cantrell. “I think you would be very good at it!”
”I don’t know. This should be an easier sale. I can’t lower the price more,” said Mandel with a grin.
“If the dragons like the new barn, then we’ll take it,” said Mavis. ‘Who are you thinking about marrying?”
The middle-aged housekeeper who had proceeded them into the room and had opened the drapes to let in the light coughed nervously.
”So far, ‘I’m keeping all my options open,” he said with a wink.
”By the way, all of the staff have agreed to stay on.” Said Mandel looking at the housekeeper. “They all seem to be dragon-friendly. A few of them specifically were very pleased at Argent’s demise.”
“It is hard to find good help,” said Mavis.
Cantrell thought that she sounded a bit too much like the daughter of an Emperor.
“I thought that WE were the help.” Said Cantrell.
”You both are going to be too busy to be cooking and making beds,” said Mandel. “I need you to help keep me alive and give this new government a chance. It’s not just my life that depends on it.”
”I told you that you should have killed them all after that little family dinner,” said Esmarilla through the bond. “Mandel is just too nice.”
Cantrell decided not to respond to the dragon, but she might be right.
“Have I ever told you that you remind me of your father? Your real one I mean?” Cantrell asked Mandel.
Mavis and Mandel exchanged a thoughtful look.
”After things calm down and become more secure, I’d like to ask him here for a visit. I’d like to get to know him, and I’m sure we both have questions.” Said Mandel. Mavis nodded.
‘Are you going to have your mother move to the Capital again?” Asked Cantrell
“That would, of course, be up to her. I don’t think her time here was very enjoyable, “ he replied. “She cried a lot when she didn’t know anyone could see.” Mandel wiped at his own eyes.
“She is, in her own way, a hero, you know.” Said Cantrell.
”Yes, but for us to succeed here, most people can never know it.” Mandel said, then he suddenly looked at the housekeeper.
“Is keeping that to yourself going to be a problem?” He asked her.
”Oh no, my Lord,” she squeaked. “I got locked up in the Emperor's tower when Ardwynn did. It was very frightening. Argent was a monster. I will keep your secrets”
”You may go then. Thank you for helping us see the house, “ he said.
“I must tend to the daily shopping anyway. Thank you, my Lord.” She scurried away.
Mandel, Mavis, and Cantrell continued to look through the house aquatinting themselves with the locations of cupboards and closets.
Suddenly there was a large whoosh outside near the barn. They all three ran to a nearby window and looked out. The barn was on fire. It was fully engulfed. Mo-Rung was standing in the yard looking at it. The three elves quickly ran outside.
”Did you do that Mo-Rung?” Asked Mavis. “I know it has to come down anyway to build the bigger one, but you could have warned us!”
”I was not actually planning to do that.” The red dragon replied. “I was killing the spies.”
”What?” Mavis shouted. “Are there people in there?”
Mavis appeared to be reviewing Mo-Rungs memories.”
”Yes,” said the dragon to Mandel. ‘They were a couple of the dinner guests from your party the other night. Two of Argent's daughters I am sure of it. I saw them when they were leaving the party. They walked right by me. Esmarilla was flying over and saw them sneaking into the barn. I only acted after your housekeeper went in there to meet with them.”
"It was Francine and Hellinth,” Mavis said. “I saw them in Mo-Rungs memory. They were sisters of Fignair. You know what this means, don't you? More property to divide up. Maybe we shouldn’t settle for the first place we see.”
Cantrell gave her a look.
“Way too soon.” He said. “We need to remember to watch what we say around anyone but ourselves”
Mandel looked upset. Then he squared his shoulders and looked at his sister and her husband. He sighed.
”I guess it is hard to get good help these days.”
————————-
Enderline wasn't at all sure what to think. He came from a long line of Kings that had ruled over the island Kingdom of Sivantra over the last five hundred years. A normal human lifespan was only about a hundred years if you were lucky. A single elf might be able to stay alive for five hundred years but that was a lot of human kings. Kings were born, raised, and trained their successors, passed on the crown and died. Over and over. Now these elves were telling him that due to the previously unheard of occurrence of a dragon choosing a human, he might be immortal, or at least live a ridiculously long time. No one was sure because it had never even happened before.
What did immortal even mean? He knew the word, but the consequences of the word as it applied to his life were just starting to sink in. Duty was something he understood. Bravery he believed that he had in spades. Love.... He had been overjoyed when the elf Lothinar and the two blue dragons had returned his beautiful half-elf Queen to him. He had gone a little crazy when she died. He had fully expected that she would outlive him by hundreds of years. A black dragon had ended her life, and now he was bonded to another young black dragon. It was just too much to process.
His own bond, who had named himself Night-sky, was currently out in the cow pasture, crouched in front of a gopher hole. He was waiting for the gopher. It was amusing to watch. He showed such enthusiasm! Suddenly, the gopher poked his head out, and Night-sky pounced with surprising speed. He snatched up the gopher and swallowed it down whole. He suddenly started coughing. It went on for about half a minute. The King watched helplessly. Did one pat a choking dragon on the back?
”That was a little dirtier than I expected.” Said Night-Sky.
”Are you going to be ok?” Enderline asked.
”Yeah, but would you mind very much getting me some water? There is a bucket over by the pump.” Said the dragon as if they were just friends and he was not the king of an entire nation. For some reason, Enderline found the lack of deference refreshing. Enderline went to the pump and quickly filled the bucket. The dragon stepped up and gratefully took a long drink.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Thank you, that was plenty,” said Night-Sky. “You can have the rest if you want it.”
Enderline raised the bucket and took a drink himself. He noticed more than a few stares from some of the human soldiers that were standing around. Visiting the dragons had become a new hobby for the troops during their off time. Coming to the dairy and wishing that one of the little un-bonded dragons would notice you. More than a few of his soldiers had found a bond that way. It was like winning the lottery. He set the bucket down. One of the soldiers cautiously approached him. He looked at the bucket near the king's feet.
”Your Majesty. My name is Roth. It is an honor to speak with you. May I borrow your bucket?” He asked, bowing low.
“Of course! Help yourself,” said Enderline.
The soldier filled the bucket and started carrying it around in the pasture where the little un-bonded dragons were running around and playing. He had a hopeful look on his face. Suddenly a small red dragon ran over to him. She looked at the bucket. He sat it down hopefully and she took a drink. They seemed to be having a very limited conversation. There was a lot of nodding and smiling.
”That human is smart,” said Night-Sky. “You should probably consider giving him a promotion. Is there such a thing as a Vice King or something?”
Enderline was watching Roth and the red dragon with fascination. Suddenly the soldier dropped to his knees and started hugging the little red dragon.
”He just got promoted.” said Night-Sky. “That’s Ember he just bonded with. She said she was going to wait for an elf. She is very picky. I’m kind of surprised.”
Enderline tried not to, but he found himself bristling at the assumption that somehow elves were superior and preferred by dragons. Night-Sky seemed to immediately pick this up.
“That is not an indictment against humans. It’s just the natural telepathy issue.” Said Night-Sky. Most humans don’t have it. They communicate with voices only. Ember is pretty lazy. She wanted an easier way to communicate. I’ve been working hard to develop my vocal abilities quickly so that I can speak better to humans and you can understand me more easily. Remember how my voice was so high and squeaky when I first hatched?”
”Yes, it is somewhat deeper and much clearer now. That’s not normal?” Asked Enderline.
”Not usually, no. But the others know that I have a very important job representing the rest of us to you, since you are the King and all that. They encouraged me to prioritize my speaking abilities over growing in physical size. Did you notice that I am slightly smaller than the others right now?”
”Now that you mention it…” said the king. “ I also did notice that the other human-bonded dragons don’t talk nearly as much as you do.”
”Exactly!” Said Night-Sky. “Don’t worry, I will catch up on my size now that my voice and pronunciation are so much better.”
“I’m amazed that you can prioritize and choose how you want to develop!”
”You humans can’t?” Asked the little black dragon. “That’s very interesting.”
‘Another soldier ran over to Roth and asked for the bucket. Roth gave it to him, and the new man ran back to the pump.
”Your Majesty?” He said, bowing. Enderline nodded his nonverbal ascent, and he and Night-Sky stepped away from the spigot. The soldier began filling the bucket.
“That probably won’t work again,” commented Night-Sky. “It’s going to take something new to impress them now and there is plenty of water already pumped over by the barn.”
”How did I impress you? What made you choose me anyway?” Asked Enderline.
”Vanador told me that you decided to come here to help us. I understand your actual kingdom is quite far away. Then you risked everything fighting to protect us in the forest against Argent. That was enough for me. You’re kind of my hero, Enderline.
The King surprised himself and blushed.
“All of these soldiers are Heroes.” He said. “Especially the ones that didn’t make it.”
”I know. Most of these guys are great, but we are already over the ratio.” The dragon said.
”I don’t know what you are talking about?” Said Enderline confused.
”Dragon females fight alongside their males. Why don’t you have any women in your army Enderline? Some of these dragons want to have a female bond.” Said Night-Sky.
“Are you saying that most of these un-bonded dragons are waiting for human females? Never mind, of course they are. It makes sense. This has suddenly gotten even more complicated. The only women around here are the ones that live in Delora Natine.”
”We saw some of them coming out of the city. We were wondering why you hadn’t let more of them onto Ronniflass’s farm. Some of these dragons would bond.” said Night-Sky.
“I think I need to talk this over with Pricilla.” Said Enderline thoughtfully.
Vanquish snorted behind the barn. She had been listening in on the king's conversation with Night-Sky. She had of course known that many of these newly hatched dragons would be looking for a female bond. She had been keeping that fact to herself. She could not stop these young dragons from bonding but she was generally not in favor of dragons bonding at all. There was far too much history of abuse and bonding with humans was unknown territory. That information was now known by the king. She wondered what he would do. Would he try to bring un-bonded young dragons back to his island to find them female bonds within the Sinvantra population or give the locals a chance? At least if they bonded with human women who originally lived on the mainland, the rest of the dragon young would most likely eventually stay here. Too many young dragons were already eventually headed for Sivantra as it was.
Later that evening Enderline discussed his latest findings about dragon behavior and bonding with his bride and her sister. They were having steak and eating it picnic-style on a huge blanket near Ronni's barn. Several young dragons were gathered around Night-Sky, and as they worked on their small dragon-sized cow portions, they listened intently as Night-Sky described his practice battle with the gophers. He warned them about the hazards of eating dirt. Ivy had bolted her food and was trying to curl up on Pricilla's lap, but was getting too big for that to easily happen. She seemed satisfied to rest her chin on her leg and was soon asleep.
"So I need some feminine advice,” Enderline said to the two half-elf sisters.
Pricilla and Ronni looked at each other and then back to him expectantly.
“Night-Sky told me that the bonding hold-up has been that most of these un-bonded dragons are looking for a female to bond with.” Said Enderline.
“I didn’t think it mattered to them,” said Ronni. "Didn't Mavis bond with a female dragon first and then later with Mo-Rung?"
"I think those were special circumstances," said Pricilla. "Mo-Rung had revenge on his mind at the time. Didn't he originally want Cantrell?"
"The point is," said Enderline, interrupting, "To these little dragons, it does seem to matter. Now what do you think I should do about it?"
"Are you thinking about restricting their access to the local females? asked Ronniflass. "Because if you are and that information gets out, it's going to make some of these people very unhappy."
"I don't think it's very fair of me to limit the dragon's choices," said Enderline. "I already feel bad that I've been doing that without realizing it."
"Then what about elves? Asked Pricilla. "Are you open to them choosing full-blooded female elves? There are more than a few that would probably be willing."
"Perhaps, if I may interject here," said Night-Sky. The sisters jumped when they heard him speak. Enderline laughed.
"Yes, Night-Sky has been working very hard on his speaking voice," Enderline said.
"I'm used to hearing my own dragon," said Pricilla, but it's usually through bond telepathy. Night-Sky's speaking voice is very good!"
"Thank you," said Night-Sky. "I am lucky your husband and king is very wise. I am catching on very quickly to these social quandaries."
"How much did you pay him to say that?!" asked Ronni, laughing.
"Nobody paid me," said Night-Sky. Is that a thing? Is my speaking well going to cause people to give me human currency?"
"Not in this crowd, No," said Enderline. "But after I retire from being king, someday, we may have to take this show on the road."
"There is much in that statement that I do not yet understand," said Night-Sky. "Nonetheless, I believe I can answer your question about the elves."
"He sounds just like Firestorm!" said Ronni. "We need to get him and her together in the same place. It would be epic!"
"She's in Sivantra right now. In the capital with Lothinar, in fact. That might happen!" said Pricilla.
"Ssshh," said Enderline. "I'm very interested in what he has to say about the female elves."
"Thank you... Yes, as I was saying... These dragons are war orphans, as am I. We were the last hope of dragon mothers and fathers that were losing a war and their own death was likely in sight. They were fighting elves, except for a few elves, most of whom were members of one specific family. Most elves were the enemy or at least apathetic to our plight. That reality has had an impact on our genetic memory and our preferences. I doubt very much that any one of us would choose to bond with a full-blooded elf. Perhaps in time and with greater understanding, that may change, but for now, it is unlikely.
"What about half-elves? asked Ronni, suddenly self-conscious.
"Ah, From what I have been told, that is indeed rare. Yes, that would be wonderful. The advantages are obvious. A telepathic human, on the one hand, and an elf that would not tend to try to dominate one of us through a misused bond. But," said Night-Sky, "Your rare half-elf condition also presents some problems"
"Do many elves do that? Dominate their dragons? I heard the story of Tundor and Ardwynn. I thought that was because of Argent's taint." asked Pricilla.
"A few. You should talk to Esmarilla about that sometime." said Night-Sky."
Pricilla paled.
"I know your history with her," said Night-Sky, but I will say that, at the very least, her bond with the elf Ardwella was not ideal. Esmarilla was very frustrated and often received conflicting information. She is now bonded with another. That is working out better for everyone. But I try to remember that Ardwella is one of the elves that did the most to help my people."
"Let's get back on topic," said Enderline. "Just what are those problems with half-elves?" asked Enderline, looking nervously at his wife and her sister. "Since they are kind of in my immediate family."
"Right, They are almost always completely infertile," said Night-Sky. "That means they can not have children. I thought you knew that."
Ronni gasped, and Pricilla began to cry. That woke up Ivy.
"What did you say now Night-Sky?" she asked angrily. "You didn't tell her, did you?"
--------------------------------------------
Lothinar woke up. Something was wrong. For a few seconds, he couldn't remember what it was. He had been having a dream. A dream from back when he and Ardwynn had been together. It had been a wonderful time. He could almost feel her arms still wrapped around him. He could feel her baby bump pressing against his abdomen. Baby bump!? He jumped straight out of bed, of course waking her up.
"What are you doing here?" he asked loudly as she smiled up sweetly at him.
"Are you ready for another round already? Because the first one was fantastic. I don't even mind that you changed your hair."
"He gasped and passed his hand in front of his face, restoring the illusion."
"That is better," she admitted. "But come back to bed. I've really missed being with you!"
Lothinar tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. He took a few deep breaths. The dragon-inspired heart and lungs seemed to help him recover more quickly from his sudden shock.
Ardwynn was completely naked, and in spite of her pregnancy, she still looked very beautiful. Other dragon influenced parts also seemed to be responding more quickly than he had anticipated. Parts of him were definitely inspired. She looked at his rebellious body.
"That's better," she said. "Come back to bed."
"Firestorm! Where the hells are you?" he asked. "Ardwynn's in my room!"
"Why wouldn't she be? She is your wife." Replied the dragon. "Sounds like you had a good time. Took you long enough. I'm so glad you two are back together!"
Lothinar squinted at Ardwynn. She blinked innocently.
"What did you do to Firestorm? She doesn't sound like herself," said Lothinar.
"Fine!" she said. "I'll tell you. That fancy red sword you have. You left it lying in the living room. It spoke to me."
"What did it say?" he asked in horror.
"It told me that it could convince dragons of anything," she said. "And it seems that it can. I told Firestorm that I was your wife and that she should let me into your room. The sword did the rest. It was so easy! I should have done that when we first got here. She's been blocking me for weeks. We've wasted so much time."
"Where is the sword now?" he asked cautiously.
"I put it somewhere safe," she said happily. "That thing is really useful. A girl never knows when she is going to need something like that with dragons about."
"You didn't try and bond Firestorm did you?"
"Of course not!" She belongs to you. "I would never do something like that," she said. "We both know how that turned out last time. It broke us up. I would never want that. I love you Lothinar!"
"You took the sword," he said.
"Insurance," she said. "A guarantee that after I have our child, you will never leave me. I know how easy it is for you to attract the attention of females. I want to stay with you forever! The confidence that Firestorm has that we should be together will soon begin to influence you to feel the same way about me again. Bonds are two directional remember."
Lothinar started to call out to Candasar and then suddenly remembered that she was too far away. He tried anyway. Nothing came back. Even if she could hear him she was a very long flight away.
He went back to bed.
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