"The two of you have to be on your best behavior, no matter what walks through that door. Something with the power to go against the natural like that is not something you want to offend. Coming here was a mistake..."

Lauren sounds frightened at the prospect of meeting whoever set up that balcony with a shrinking spell, and she seems convinced that there's no chance of the Shae having cast it.

"Why? It's just some magic, right?"

"No, it's not just 'some magic,' Raya. Magic is natural and has rules. Everything works in conjunction with those rules. Fire magic is easy because starting fires is easy. Healing magic works by increasing the speed of what the body does naturally. And your spells to empower yourself work because you have the power to improve yourself. Shrinking, especially to that degree, is unnatural, and to make magic do something unnatural takes a lot of it to compensate. The greatest mages of Immarderen have tried to cast unnatural magics of that sort and have all failed. Wreyn isn't powerful enough to do it."

Geez, even with my senses reduced by this scarf of muted senses, the smell of Lauren's fear is palpable. Suggesting we just leave doesn't do much to calm her nerves, in fact, it might have made things worse. She's now ranting about how we can't dishonor our host by turning down their hospitality, repeating that Raya and I need to be on our best behavior.

The moment a door swings open behind Raya and I, Lauren goes quiet and several scalefolk bring out plates of food. There's a huge variety of stuff here and I want to taste it all. Oh! Fish! They have baked fish and sauces! And for tiny Kira, those are huge enough that I'll have to chew! Ooh, this might turn out great. Things taste amazing, but chewing really brings out flavor.

"Raya, get Kira under control, please. We can't have her assaulting the staff."

Hey, I'm under control, I'm just a little excited about all these dishes. I'm not sure what the plan is here, but there's enough food to feed the entire table of twenty, it seems. At least there are twenty chairs, so that makes sense to me.

"Shae Tara Volkai had not informed us of your current state of dress, Great Dragon. Could I be so bold as to offer a quick bath?"

But the food...

"You're still dirty, Kira, you should do it."

But the food... Geez, instead of supporting my gastronomic adventures, Raya works to create a situation in which she may have dibs on the treats. It is a good point she makes, though... Fine, I wouldn't want to get dirt and whatnot in the food anyway.

As I approach the edge of the table, I find myself impressed by the height of it until it occurs to me that it isn't a ledge atop a mountain, but a tiny dragon staring at the floor from a table that is well-suited for someone a bit taller than Lauren.

As I stand at the edge of the table, the scalefolk offering a bath comes over and picks me up with both arms. I don't like that!

"Kira, don't bite him! Best behavior, remember?"

Throwing her a glare and sticking my tongue out at her, I let her know that I'm not biting anyone. I was just a little surprised, and that made me uncomfortable, but I'm keeping that part to myself. And now I'm being carried off to some other location, which makes me even more uncomfortable.

As we pass through a mundane door, we enter a hallway with sconces lighting the way. They appear to be magically fueled and keep the hallway lit in a delightfully warm glow. Passing several doors, the scalefolk stops just past an ornate door just big enough to fit him as he uses his tail to knock. The door swings inward as another scalefolk stands in the doorway wearing very little clothing and dripping water.

They both move inside, carrying me with them. The interior is made of white metal inscribed with all sorts of runes and symbols. There's a constant hum of power, making me think that it was a mistake not to object to this abduction. I have no idea what any of this magic does, and the fact that I can see it with muted senses makes me worry even more as my 'Kira, you screwed up' sense is tingling.

As we turn a corner, a huge bathing area comes into view and that appears to be our target. I guess I just feel vulnerable, tiny, and unfamiliar with this place. We're heading for a table and as soon as we're in range, he sets me down on it, leaving me to stretch after that carrying session. Looking around reveals... geez, the walls are inlaid with gold and silver, forming a tapestry of bizarre symbols that give off a constant buzz of power.

I wouldn't mind losing this scarf right about now so I could get a closer- Ooh... That feels good... He's brushing the dirt and grime off me with a firm-bristled brush. He knows how to treat a dragon. The occasional splash of water helps loosen the tougher bits and before I realize it, he picks me up again and walks into the pool of water.

As we become partially submerged, he lets go of me, letting me float along the surface, which is apparently a thing I can do in my shrunken form. Without any hesitation, he spreads out my wings as he begins scrubbing the membranes, cleaning them in a way I haven't ever felt before. If this is what that big emerald dragon felt, I can see why he would come around here, even with the scary shrinking. I'm not sure I would want access to shrinking on a permanent basis, any of these folks could step on me and squish me.

"Pardon my stepping out of turn, Great Dragon. Worries appear to cloud your expression. Should you wish, I stand ready to answer your any inquiries."

"I feel vulnerable being this tiny."

"Ah, a reasonable worry to be sure, though not a valid one. If you wish for a demonstration as to why, I offer this brush handle for you to bite."

He is holding the brush by the bristles as he hovers the metallic handle in front of my face, making it look quite delicious. Unable to resist, I take a bite of it and, with a delightful crunch, I get a mouthful of glorious metal to eat. That feels like a softer metal for sure, that shouldn't have been so easy.

"The spell utilized by Lord Faran may siphon your stature, but Great Deannon'Tathir would not allow his strength to be taken. Your might remains as it was. And I must say, I appreciate your calm spirit as I brought you here. Had I known of your ignorance on the matter, I would have explained it beforehand, so as not to put myself in such danger of accident."

Oh, yeah, I could have hurt him a lot if I had squirmed. Good thing Lauren kept telling me to be on my best behavior. I'm pretty sure gutting the staff wouldn't qualify as best behavior. Well, unless my best is pretty dang awful.

"Do you know a lot about this dragon and magic stuff?"

"Not to boast, but I am the personal attendant of Great Deannon'Tathir, and it is my duty to know and anticipate his needs. As such, it is I who stand most fit to see to your needs."

That explains how he wields the brush with such expertise. It also provides a source of information about the things I don't know about dragons, such as why I'm so easy to bribe with treats. And ask I do!

"Oh, you must have been orphaned... It fills my heart with sorrow that you grew up without the guardianship of your matriarch. It is impressive that you managed to survive. Dragon whelps are often hunted to prevent their growth. Attacks that the matriarch will fend off."

That doesn't really answer my question, but it sounds like I'm an orphan now. Geez, I thought dragons just left their young in caves and we had to just fend for ourselves. Good thing I found Raya.

"Pardon me for saying so, but considering these 'treats' as bribes is not wholly correct. It is to be thought of more as tribute in return for not becoming tribute. I do not know your history, but that of Dragons past is rife with slaughter and consumption. Neither king nor peasant could escape the gaping maw of a Dragon. Though it could be postponed through the use of gifts."

That sounds a lot like I come from a lineage of jerks, which I'm gonna quietly ignore and keep being me.

All of a sudden, focusing becomes very difficult as he brings out a smaller brush and starts brushing between the spines on my back and geez... I might have to hire a goblin as my permanent back scratcher.

"Do you wish to return to your... I fear I do not know their standing."

"Raya and Lauren are my friends. Is it that rare for dragons to have friends?"

"Deannon'Tathir and Thaegon were friends, though the Emerald Dragon would be loath to admit it. That being said, the natural aggression and domination presented by Dragons tend to scare off most prospective social interactions, leaving only those who would use the Dragon's might for their own goals. Thus creating a loop of isolation."

Aww... Poor murder lizards of old. They had it tough, and all they needed was a buddy.

"We have finished your cleaning, so shall we return to your friends, Great Dragon?"

"Sure, and you can just call me Kira instead of this great dragon stuff. Specifically, 'Kira.'"

"I find myself curious as to why you would need to specify your name."

"I corrected Skelly, and the doofus started calling me Kiranot the Dragon."

It occurs to me that I never got his name, and I should probably ask. In fact, I'm gonna do-

"I do not know any by the name of Skelly, but the moniker 'Kiranot the Dragon' was used by Korfarrakir the Swarmweaver. I assume that was referring to you, then. Oh, what a proud lich they are to have tasted a Dragon's soul of such potency. It is rare to hear the rattling jaws wag quite with such ferocity."

It seems the rascally skeleton has caused a bit of a stir as Brushmaster laughs at his retelling of Skelly talking about the encounter with me. And it's very good to hear that folks keep talking about Skelly in present tense, so that means the rascal is still running around and causing a commotion.

Oh! Brushmaster has a towel! Ooh, I want to bring it home and wrap myself in it. It's huge enough for... Dang it, I'm shrunk, it's not huge at all, it's just a reasonable size for folks his size.

"I find myself curious about your tail blade, Kira. May I ask what happened?"

Looking back at my tail, it does appear there's still a little damage that hasn't healed, but I tell him the story of the steelback. Instead of being impressed by my clever daring, he launches into a lecture about not using my tail as a weapon, as I would need it to flee if the situation turned dire. People are way too willing to give me lectures.

Geez, he's a great dragon attendant. With no pause at all, he scoops me up and wraps me in my own wings alongside my tail before wrapping me in the towel, creating a cocoon of comfort. I could get used to this.

----------

"Falling asleep is one way to be on your best behavior, I suppose."

Annoying Lauren wakes me up from a very comfortable snooze. The food appears to still be steaming, but I'm pretty sure we were in the bath for quite some time. Not nudging Raya, who is the closest, but my neck isn't long enough anymore, I ask her how long we were gone.

"You left just a bit ago. Did you just go get wrapped up before turning back?"

I'm pretty sure more than that happened. As I begin to wriggle, Brushmaster begins unwrapping me, sparing the towel from my efforts to free myself.

"Just do it like this."

No! Raya is helping him and she's grabbing a corner of the towel, she'd better not pull it.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Are you ready, Kira? I'm gonna pull on the cloth really hard!"

"No! Bad Raya! Don't you do it!"

"I'm gonna do it!"

"By the Gods... Could the two of you act like reasonable beings?... Do you not understand what kind of situation we're in here?! Whatever has the power to maintain a spell of that magnitude has to be taken seriously!"

Raya is glaring at Lauren with clear mischief in her eyes, there's something brewing behind those wily eyes of hers. At least my risk of towel yanking has been greatly reduced as Brushmaster gets back to work unwrapping me. He's a lot more gentle than Raya threatened to be.

As I wobble on my own four legs, I manage to approach a delicious-smelling pot of chowder, and with Lauren yelling for Raya to get off the table, I have the perfect opportunity to chow down!

Ooh, so many chopped veggies! Biting at chunks is delightful as they try to evade my terrifying teeth! You won't escape me, veggies!

"Kira! Eat properly, you just had a bath and now your face is covered in soup..."

Looking back at Raya and Lauren, I see one stern expression and a wide-toothed grin staring at me. Being covered in food is just the cost of doing business when you're in pursuit of deliciousness.

Brushmaster is quick to hold a finger under my chin as he lifts my head a bit and wipes off any excess I can't catch with my tongue.

"I'm serious... Please don't offend our host."

Geez, she does sound serious, almost sad as she pleads for us to behave. I don't think I've done all that much to warrant such an expression, but I can try a little harder for her.

"Do not worry, Champion of Merciferus. Lord Faran would not allow any harm to come to his guests, and the ceremony of nobility is naught but a foolish play. You may cease restricting the playful natures of Kira and Raya, should you wish."

Brushmaster seems to understand Lauren's worries, earning him a raised eyebrow stare.

"Fine. But I will blame you if they ruin anything. And I'm not holding back either."

That's the spirit, Lauren! Instead of worrying, Brushmaster suggests a few dishes for her to try.

Rushing across the table, I reach her in no time and give her a nudge before grabbing a leg of some sort of grilled bird, one of the dishes recommended by Brushmaster. Holding it up for her, I wait for her to take a bite, but she opts to just stare at me.

"I can eat on my own, Kira."

That's enough information for Raya as she chomps down on the leg I had grabbed for Lauren. Tug of war it is, Raya! But I know something you don't! My strength isn't diminished.

Try as she might, as I dig in my claws, Raya can't get any leverage to pull the bird leg away from me. That is, until an ominous force bellows from above, forcing me to let go and sending Raya flying backward.

Looking up, I see a very frowny Lauren staring back at me before she points out best behavior this, best behavior that, and that digging in my claws doesn't qualify when I'm standing on a table. I guess that's fair, but I don't think we need to be that cautious. Everyone here has been so hospitable and accommodating, and the few folks around us seem to be laughing at our antics.

With a sigh, she grabs something to eat as her glaring gaze falters.

As she gets comfortable, Raya and I begin exploring the rest of the table as giant doors swing open to reveal a stupidly big armored figure. The whole thing is black with red accents and spikes all over. It's a little gaudy, to be honest. Sure, spikes can work, but this armor looks like it has spikes added to have extra surface area for more runes and whatnot.

Lauren's back stiffens as she sits so still that she might be confused for a statue. The black armor guy just walks past her as he aims for the chair at the end of the table and sits down. Behind him, we spot the Shae walking at a pace to match him, but she has to take two steps for his one as he's much bigger.

"I present Lord Faran. Lord Faran, here to see you today are Lauren, Champion of Merciferus, Kira, Kiranot the Dragon-"

"That's not my name! It's just Kira! The whole 'Kiranot the Dragon' was a misunderstanding with Skelly."

Instead of respecting the correction, Lauren shushes me as she glares at me, but it's reasonable to want people to get it right. And if Skelly tells me not to use the name Skelly anymore, I won't.

The Shae chuckles at my outburst before continuing, making me think she did it on purpose.

"And finally, we have Raya the Dragonforged, First of Kira's Court."

As Raya's name is mentioned with a title, she beams with pride. It doesn't take long before her smile falters a little as she asks a question.

"How do you know Lauren is a champion? People we've met have called her cleric, but not champion. He did it, too."

She's pointing at Brushmaster, and now that I think about it, she's right. They do seem to know that she's the champion for some reason. Instead of responding, the giant armored guy moves his hands to remove his full helmet. With the screeching of metal on metal, he pulls it off, revealing a bony face with more sigils like Skelly's.

"Lord Faran says he knows because it is his business to know what the Gods are up to. He would like to inform you that Korfarrakir will be occupied for the foreseeable future, as the lich has a siege to prepare for."

"Are you Skelly's patron? Because if so, you owe me a favor."

"How have you come to that conclusion? I believe the deal did not include any favors, merely assistance to absolve the Champion of her predicament concerning the Affront, which has been resolved."

"Yeah, but I still upheld part of my agreement, with no way to resolve the last, giving Skelly some venom, so I have made my best efforts to complete the deal. Whereas you seem to have no intentions of upholding your side or compensating when unable to do so."

"Kira! Don't antagonize them!"

I don't think I'm antagonizing them, but Lauren seems to disagree. Raya, on the other hand, is on Team Kira, as she pulls out a vial and holds it out for me to dribble some saliva into. As we fill it, she corks it and walks closer to the armored guy, leaving it on the table for him to grab.

"And how would you want to spend this favor?"

"Free the Shadow Man, so he can move on to the next life."

I'm not sure how to interpret the expressions of a skull, but I don't think my request surprised him at all. With a wave of his hand, Shadow Man appears, looking remarkably human and alive.

"What in the hells is going on?!"

"Vidar the Hunter, you have fulfilled your tasks, as such, you are now free to live your life as you please. This Dragon has attempted to use a favor from Lord Faran to release you from your contract."

As far as reactions go, I didn't expect retching to be among the first, but I guess going from a shadow being to flesh and blood might do that. Instead of focusing on that, I'm gonna invite him to partake in the delights presented by the scalefolk, which he agrees to with some hesitation. In fact, he's staring at me a lot.

As he walks to Lauren, the chair to her right, farthest from this Lord Faran character, morphs into a human-appropriate chair, letting him sit down next to her. She's quick to assist him by giving him a plate of assorted food and a drink.

"So, Shae-Shae, why did you say 'attempted' to use?"

"Lord Faran is honorable and would not allow someone to ask for a favor already destined to happen. Now, do you have any other requests that might be feasible? Anything between the heavens, the hells, and the temporal planes could be yours at the utterance of a word."

Geez, that's a lot... Looking between Raya and Lauren doesn't appear to be much help. For some reason, Raya looks sad, but Lauren is working on teaching Shadow Man how to use a fork and knife. She's always so helpful, and I guess it makes sense that he would forget something like that if he has been the Shadow Man for a long time.

Moving over to Raya, I give her a nudge, asking why she's sad all of a sudden.

"I don't want to say because you haven't thought about it yet..."

Rather than letting her be gloomy, I'm gonna climb her and wrap myself around her. Instead of letting me, she asks the Shae if they can talk in private, which the Shae agrees to. Raya walks with solemn steps toward a door indicated to her by the Shae, only interrupted by needing to climb down from the table.

That leaves me standing around, not climbing anyone. I have no idea what Raya thinks I haven't thought about yet, but I'm pretty curious. It did make her sad, though, so I'm not gonna try too hard to think about it.

Instead I'm gonna focus on the Shadow Man and drag a plate of some sort of boar-looking creature over to him. As far as I can tell, it isn't like the Steelback at all, but it smells fantastic.

"Did you really attempt to free me from my bonds?"

As I reach them with the cooked carcass of boar, I give him a nod before digging in. Well, attempt to dig in as I'm being picked up and now he's hugging me. I didn't know he felt that bad about being the Shadow Man, so yeah, I'm definitely dropping the nickname and calling him Vidar from now on.

Instead of focusing on my deeds, I'm gonna thank him for guiding me again, since getting lost in the woods would have been very bad back then. I might not even have survived from the sounds of it.

Leaving that aside for now, I'm gonna ask Brushmaster if it's okay to just ignore Faran like this, since the Shae seems to talk for him and she's not here.

"He still hears us, though we cannot hear him as his power is too great, and a mental communication would be quite harmful. The Shae is protected against such things, allowing her to communicate with Lord Faran."

Oh, yeah, I wouldn't want my brain scrambled by a loud skeleton. And he does seem okay with just sitting there.

As Vidar keeps holding me, he lets out gentle sobs while thanking me for helping him, but I don't feel like I did that much. It's making me a little angry at this Faran person for doing something like that to this guy.

It's tempting to call him a jerk for it, but I'm pretty sure Lauren would oppose. Instead, I'll just coil around Vidar and let him feel his emotions for a while.

Time passes as Lauren tries a little of everything. I'm not sure what to do in a situation like this. As luck would have it, I don't have to figure it out, as Vidar lets go of me.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me. I did not mean to restrain you."

He gets a lick and a nudge. He seems like a nice person. I am curious what he intends to do from here on out, but as I ask him, Lauren pokes my face as she tells me that it's unreasonable to expect him to know, since he just regained his life.

"You can stay in Tuiran for as long as you want! It's my town, and it's pretty great!"

"Since when do you own Tuiran, Kira?"

"Since I said so. That's how dragons work, Lauren."

With another poke, she chuckles at me as she shakes her head.

"I would be honored to serve you, though I do not know how much service I can be. I am... out of practice in being corporeal."

"That's okay! I don't expect you to do all that much, just look at Lauren, all she does is be snarky and bossy. She has gotten so good at it that it's her full-time job now!"

As a treat comes flying my way, I snatch it out of the air with chuckles sounding in the background. Leaving Vidar's lap, I climb onto the table again and get to work on this boar I brought over. As I bite into it, flavor assaults my mouth and these scalefolk really know how to use spices. Ripping off a few chunks, I drop them onto plates for Lauren and Vidar so they can have a taste as well.

Vidar is quick to grab the piece and take a bite, but Lauren looks at me as she pushes the plate away, opting to carve a piece for herself.

"I am accustomed to many things as an ex-guild member, Kira, but willingly eating Dragon saliva is not on the list."

That's fair, but I'm not above eating dragon saliva, so her piece is mine now! And it's delicious too!

Raya hasn't returned yet, and there's no sound coming from the door at all, which makes me a little worried. A finger scratches the spot between my horns as Vidar talks to me.

"Do not worry for her. She's a guest and Lord Faran wouldn't allow any harm to befall her."

That's all well and good, but I don't know these people, and that means worry is reasonable. I don't have to take accountability for my emotions, though! The door opens, and Raya steps out alongside the Shae! And Raya has been crying. She needs a nudge!

With a few steps, I spread my wings and fly to her. As I collide with her, she lights up and laughs as we hug each other. It's a good thing my weight isn't transferred to this tiny form.

"Raya, you should bring up your worries, as leaving such things to fester would bring festering rot."

Looking into my eyes, she seems to hesitate, but that won't stop me from nudging her some more.

"Kira, I don't want you to leave, and I think Faran might have the power to allow you to go home."

I have the power to allow me to go home, we can just leave and go back to Tuiran any time we want. There isn't anything stopping us, as far as I can tell.

"The Shae says that I might make your life a little difficult by talking about this, but she also says it needs to be talked about..."

"To be precise, a decision made by fate is circumstance, but what Raya is bringing up will change that to a decision by you, and as such, it is you who must live with the consequences. Circumstance has a habit of being a lighter burden than the consequences of a choice."

That sounds ominous, but I'm not sure what's going on.

"You could use the favor from Faran to go back to where you came from. The Shae says he has that power, but I don't want you to leave me. I know that's selfish, and I should think about what you want, but I don't want to. I just want you to stay with me."

Geez, there's a lot of crying going around today. And also, bigger geez! That is a huge thing... I can see how it changes how the consequences work, though. If I make the decision to not return, I've chosen to abandon my parents, but if I choose to return, I've chosen to abandon everyone here...

It is tempting to have the opportunity to return to my old life, but is it even what I want? And if it isn't, do I not want it because of what I am? Geez, this is starting to sound like a big decision, and I can see why Raya was worried. I should hear any input Lauren might have to give. Giving her a look, she swallows a mouthful of food before setting down her fork.

"How the fuck should I know? That's way above my rank!"

"You are an agent of the Goddess Merciferus, are you not? An Agent of Fate?"

And just like that, the Shae earns a glare from Lauren as my friend returns to her food, but it's a pretty good point. I'm not gonna push it, though. Why am I getting this favor anyway? This feels like a disproportionate reward for a vial of venom and letting Skelly taste me. Which I'm gonna bring up, since now things are messy.

"Much like the Champion of Merciferus, those serving Lord Faran may act as they please, though he is not so fortunate. His actions are bound by a treaty with the Pantheon."

The sound of Lauren spitting out her masticated food leads to coughing.

"What?! That means that fucking thing is THE fucking Abomination! How the fuck could you not mention that?! We need to get the fuck out of here now!"

"Best behavior, Lauren, you said so yourself."

And that earned me a glare, but she does sit down again. I'm not sure why it's so significant that this bony guy is an abomination. I've been called an abomination too, and we don't feel like the same. Bringing it up yields a sigh as Lauren starts massaging the bridge of her nose.

"Not 'an' abomination, The Abomination. The one I mentioned the Gods intervening with the world to fight."

"Did they try talking to him? He seems reasonable enough sitting there and letting the Shae talk for him. And he owes me a favor."

Instead of letting us get derailed by the discussion of this skeleton's reason, the Shae interjects as she has more to say about the owed favor.

"As mentioned, Lord Faran is bound by the treaty, and part of that means deals must not be broken. Had you allowed it to simply end with the assistance of the Affront falling away, that would have been that, but you demanded compensation, as was your right. Thus, the favor."

"Lauren, I found Skelly's faction."

That got a laugh out of her. But she retaliates with a scary question about what I intend to do, and the opportunity to see my parents again is tempting, but I don't know. I've built a life here, and I have family here... Nudging Raya, I ask what she thinks I should do about it, but it's pretty obvious as she holds me even tighter. And I knew that already, since she told me she didn't want me to leave.

Oh! OOH! A THOUGHT! I know what to do!