Tales from the Tavern...

“I am so sorry, Ryu!” Crystal said through the window, “I panicked when I saw them coming! I almost turned you two into frozen dinners!” Ryu lay in the snow outside the small cottage as Sparcy tended to Rosette who was still unconscious.

            “Never mind that.” He said, “How is she doing?”

            “She’ll be fine. Just a mild case of hypothermia.” Sparcy said, checking a thermometer, “She should stay home for a few days, though. She’ll be sick.”

            “This is all my fault.” Ryu said, hanging his head, “I shouldn’t have run off.” Neither of the girls responded, making him feel even more depressed.

            “Just hurry up and change back so you can come inside.” Crystal said, “We have to close this window because it’s getting cold in here.”

            “Fine.” He huffed. She closed the window and he snorted a puff of smoke when he rested his head on his forearms.

            He found it hard to concentrate. Distracted by his concern for Rosette, he found it hard to change into his human form, and it was taking longer than usual. He had managed to reduce his body to half its normal size when he heard footsteps crunching on the snow, around the corner of the cottage, and he assumed it was one of his sisters, coming to check on why it was taking so long. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to relax, but a quiet gasp and the click of a hammer being pulled back on a pistol made him look up to see exactly who it was.

            He found himself in a rather familiar setting. Once again, Michelle was gasping at the sight of a real live dragon, while someone next to her was pointing a gun at it. The only difference this time was that he wasn’t alone, and he wasn’t as confused as last time, so he didn’t try to run. But regardless, he was put in a rather difficult situation, and he struggled to think of what to do. After several minutes of blank stares, it was Michelle who moved first.

            “Put that gun away, Mr. Gantz!” she whispered, “I don’t want a repeat of last time!”

            “Last time? You mean you’ve seen this thing before?” he asked.

            “I was the one who found it. It flew away up north, but I was surprised to see it here!” she said. Ryu just stared at her. “What an amazing creature!” Ryu lifted his head and tapped on the window with a horn.

            “Sis, a little help out here, please.” He said. Both of their jaws hit the ground as he spoke and became even more surprised when the young girl slid the window open.

            “What’s wrong?” she asked, and then spotted the two trespassers, “Oh crap!”

            “Yea, it is a problem.” Ryu said, looking back to the two, “What do you think we should do?”

            “Y-You can talk?” Michelle stammered, “W-Why? I mean why didn’t you say anything before? Why did you run off?” Ryu stood up.

            “I was frozen! I was confused! And I was shot! Why do you think I ran away!” he roared. Michelle screamed and again the gun was raised, “You humans and your guns! No different than a sword, except a gun wouldn’t rust from the blood of your enemies.”

            “They’re used mostly for self defense.” Mr. Gantz said, his pistol shook in his hand.

            “Then why are you pointing it at me?” he asked, “Am I attacking you?”

            “Not yet.” He said, tightening his grip on his gun.

            “So you assume that I will attack you because of what I am?” he asked.

            “Y-you’re a dragon!” he exclaimed, “You can breathe fire! You are quite capable of killing us both! You’re dangerous!” Ryu looked him straight in the eyes.

            “With a gun, so are you.” He said, “You could just as easily shoot everyone here.”

            “But I’m not like that! I’m not a killer!” he yelled.

            “And neither am I.” Ryu said, “Granted, I may have killed in self defense, but being an officer, you too must have returned an enemies fire when fired upon. I have no intent to kill, just as you.”

            “You killed two laborers at the excavation!” Michelle exclaimed, “They did nothing to you!”

            “Lies!” he roared, “They had weapons too! They were trying to kill me! Capture me!”

            “It was all a misunderstanding!” She said, “We had no idea you were intelligent!”

            “Your stereotype of dragons is also a misunderstanding. You still think that we are murderous, monsters that had to be slain because we were a threat to all humans!”

            “We thought that dragons were mythological creatures! We had no idea that you existed!” Michelle said.

            “Still you have stories. The concept of dragons had to come from somewhere!” Ryu said, his head dropped a foot and his eyes narrowed, “Ancient text and fairy tales. Everything you have read has told you that dragons are evil. It was humans who wrote it in the first place and it was them who had created the view that we are monsters.” Again his head dropped again and his eyes closed even further, “You humans need to think for yourselves. Believe on your own. Make your o-own….” His eyes closed and his head hit the ground, making them both jump backwards. Crystal jumped into action, leaping out the open window and rushing to his side.

            “What happened?” Michelle asked, “Is he alright?”

            “His wounds opened again, he must have lost a lot of blood getting back here.” She said.

            “Wounds? You mean from being shot up north?” she gasped.

            “Yes. He’s still hurt.” Crystal said with an annoyed tone.

            “How do you know all of this?” She asked.

            “Because I’m his sister.” She said without looking up. She was adjusting a few bandages over a wound in his stomach. The two stood in shock.

            “Wait a minute! This dragon is your brother?” Michelle asked.

            “Yes.”

            “That would mean you are a dragon too?”

            “Yes.”

            “But you don’t look like a dragon.” Gantz said, obviously. Crystal looked annoyed.

            “I haven’t got time for this! Can’t you guys leave us for now!” she snapped.

            “Can’t we help?” Michelle asked, taking a step forward.

            “You helped enough getting him agitated and making him bleed even more.” She said, “He was almost healed too.” The two slowly turned around and began walking towards the truck, with Michelle glancing over her shoulder at the sleeping dragon against the cottage.

            “Oh and don’t bother telling anyone about this. By the time you come back with a news team, there will be no dragon to show off.” Crystal called, “He’ll be changed back by then.” Michelle spun around.

            “Wait! He’s that red haired kid, isn’t he! The one that truck driver picked up and the kid from class, right!”

            “Don’t get any ideas. Just keep it to yourself.” She said lowering her head in a threatening stare, “We have to protect our secret no matter what, and by any means necessary.”

            “I understand.” She said, “I won’t tell anyone!” Within seconds, Crystal was watching the tail lights shrink in the distance.

            “You’re being awfully quiet.” Gantz said as the truck sped down the snowy roads, “Is something wrong?”

            “I’ve just found the answer to a question I was asking all my life.” She said, “I should be happy beyond my wildest dreams, but I’m not.”

            “Is it because you can’t tell anyone?” he asked, turning onto the main highway.

            “It’s not that. I could come out with it, I suppose, but it’s not the right thing to do. My conscience is telling me not to, but it’s what I wanted my whole life.”

            “So really, it wasn’t that you wanted to know of dragons were real, but rather to be the first to find one.” He said, “You wanted to be famous.” Michelle snickered.

            “Is that a bad thing? Wouldn’t everyone like to be famous for something they worked so hard for?”

            “Sure, I guess so.” He said.

            “But now, it’s not that I’m disappointed that I can’t cash in on my work, but rather, I’m worried that someone else will. Not because I want it for my self, but rather because I hope they never get discovered by anyone.”

            “Excuse me?” he asked, “You were just saying how finding a dragon was your life long dream! Now you want to hide it?”

            “Yes, call me crazy, but that kid really got to me.” She said, “He’s right, you know. Humans are notorious for making rash generalizations about things they don’t fully understand.”

            “Like what?” he asked.

            “What do you know about spiders?” she asked.

            “Nothing at all.”

            “Are you scared of them?”

            “Not really.”

            “But you don’t like them, do you?”

            “No, they’re creepy.” He said.

            “And what would you do if you found one? A big one for example.” She asked.

            “In all honesty, I would kill it.” She said.

            “That’s my point.” She said, “You don’t know anything about them, but would rather kill it because of what it looks like. How can you find out about anything if it’s dead?”

            “I see your point.” He said, “Next time, no guns, eh?”

            The fire crackled in the fireplace in front of the tiny living room as Rosette stirred in the small bed nearby. Her eyes opened and she snapped up in bed.

            “Ryu!” she cried, then became dizzy and fell backwards onto the pillow. Crystal giggled from the small table under the window.

            “Take it easy, Rosette. He’s just outside!” she said.

            “Why hasn’t he come inside yet?” she asked.

            “He hasn’t changed back yet.” She said, “He’s sleeping.”

            “Is he alright?” she asked, the worry in her voice was unmistakable.

            “He had a run in with that Michelle woman and the police officer that was looking for him. His wounds had opened and he lost some more blood so he’s sleeping it off.” She said. Rosette gasped.

            “Why hasn’t he healed yet?” she asked staring at the ceiling.

            “He’s under a lot of stress.” She said, pulling another card off the top of the deck.

            “It’s all my fault.” She said, “He’s worried about me.” Sparcy pulled a card and laid down another.

            “It’s only natural.” She said, “He’s finally found a friend.”

            “You mean to tell me he’s never had a friend?” she asked in disbelief. The sisters just glanced at each other before staring back at their cards.

            “There was one, a long time ago.” Crystal said, “But she wouldn’t be considered a friend.”

            “I think he’s told me about her. She celebrated his birthday once.” She said, “What happened?”

            “He was betrayed.” Crystal said, “A group of knights came looking for us and she led them straight to us.”

            “Why would she do that?” Rosette gasped. Crystal shrugged her shoulders.

            “I thought it was a bad idea for him to have a human as a friend, and I ended up being right” she said, “Doesn’t mean anything about you though, times were different back then. Religion was big and people believed that they had to obey their religious leaders or they would spend eternity in torment after they die.”

            “So it was a religious leader who told her to do it?” she asked.

            “Not sure but the people who came after us wore his crest.” She said.

            “So how do you know it was her?”

            “Because she was the only one that knew where we were. He was dumb enough to go back and see her afterwards, but he wouldn’t say what happened.”

            “Oh.” Rosette said staring at the ceiling. She figured that was why he was so skittish around people, and why he was so introverted. She snapped out of her thoughts when the front door opened, and Ryu stepped inside, under his black cloak.

            Everyone could tell that he wasn’t finished. His tail still protruded out from under his cloak, and the horns on his head lifted his hood. Even his snout stuck out from under his hood, but overall he did have a humanoid form. Without saying a word he crossed the small room and began stoking the fire with his bare hands. Once the fire was burning brightly, he took a seat in front of the fireplace, letting his tail stretch across the floor. No one said a word, until Rosette sat up in bed.

            “Ryu, how are you feeling?” she quietly asked. Still he stared into the bright flames.

            “I’m fine.” He said, “How are you doing?”

            “Better.” She muttered, “Thanks to you. You’ve saved my life, again.”

            “It was nothing.” He muttered, again he stuck his bare hand in the fire and adjusted a log.

            “You really are a good friend, you know.” She muttered. Ryu turned his head away from the fire to look at her with his yellow eyes.

            “What are you saying?” he asked, Rosette turned red.

            “It’s just that I think you’re a nice person. You’ve become my best friend.” She said, “You’ve done so much for me. I just hope there is something I can do for you.” Ryu turned back to the fire.

            “Never mind, Rosette.” He said, “I didn’t to it to get something in return.”

            “Then why did you do it?” she asked.

            “I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Especially you, Rosette.” He said, staring into the fire.

            “Do I mean that much to you?” she asked, a little embarrassed. The two sisters smiled, but kept their eyes on their cards.

            “You should rest.” He said, “Go to sleep, it’s late.” The cards fell to the table.

            “He’s right.” Crystal said, stretching out. A gale of snow hit the window and died when she relaxed, “It is late. We should all go to bed.”

            “But there’s only two beds! How is this going to work?” Rosette asked.

            “Sis and I can share my bed.” Crystal said, then a smile spread over her face, “You two can fight over that bed, or share it. It’s up to you.” With this, the two sisters retreated into the next room, closing the door behind them, leaving Rosette very embarrassed. Before she could open her mouth, Ryu spoke.

            “You can take the bed. I’m fine here.” He said, stoking the fire again with his hand. Rosette kept telling herself that he was a fire dragon and was probably fireproof, but each time he did it sent chills up her spine.

            “You’re going to sleep on the floor? You can’t do that!” she said, getting out of bed, “You can take the bed!”

            “Rosette, you’re sick and you’re still weak from hypothermia. You have to take the bed!” he said.

            “Well, um, we can always share the bed. It’s no big deal.” She said. It still sounded weird saying it, but still she felt embarrassed doing so.

            “I’m fine here, don’t worry.” He said, “I’ll stay here and keep the fire going.”

            A few hours later, Rosette rolled over to see him slumped over, with his chin on his chest, and his slow breath echoed in his bestial throat. If anything, he had gotten bigger, with his efforts of returning to his human form on hold. The fire had gone out and a sharp chill had filled the room, making Rosette shiver.

            Taking the blankets and pillow with her as she got out of bed, she pulled his massive body from a sitting position to make him lie on the floor, then covered him with the blankets, tucking the pillow under his scaly head. She found him to be radiating a soothing heat when she climbed under the blankets next to him, and she soon fell asleep next to the sleeping giant.

            It was Ryu who awoke a few hours later. He felt an odd weight as he stirred and found himself covered in blankets, then becoming embarrassed when he found Rosette sleeping soundly next to him. Without a sound, he threw a few more logs into the fire using his tail and set them aflame with a silent spray of his breath. With the fire once again burning brightly, he rested his head back on the pillow and fell into a peaceful sleep.

            The next morning, Crystal stumbled out of bed in a daze. She crossed the small room towards the stove, which she lit and put on the kettle. With a stretch in front of the window, she gazed out upon the frozen landscape, and soon a shrill whistle pierced the air. She heard movement behind her and turned to find both Ryu and Rosette trying to find their way out of the same blanket. Once his red hair poked up from under the mass on the floor, Rosette’s blonde head appeared next to him.

            “Both of you slept on the floor?” she asked with a smile, “What’s wrong with the bed?”

            “Nothing, I gave the bed to her.” Ryu said, rubbing his eyes.

            “Why did you end up on the floor with him?” she asked. Rosette blinked a few times, trying to concentrate.

            “The fire went out and I was cold.” She said, turning red.

            “Rosette, if you were cold you should have bundled in the blankets.” He said.

            “But I thought you would be cold too.” She said.

            “First of all, I’m already cold blooded, as I keep saying, and secondly, I’m a fire dragon. I can’t get cold.” He said.

            “Ryu, she said she was cold. And as you said, you are a fire dragon, so you would have lots of heat to give her.” Crystal said, “Plus, she likes you so leave her alone.”

            You could have heard a pin drop in the room after she poured a cup of tea. Both Ryu and Rosette stared at each other and Crystal smiled to herself as she gazed over the snowy lake.

            “Rosette, is this true?” Ryu asked, somewhat embarrassed. She turned red and buried her face in her pillow.

            “Crystal, I didn’t say that!” she yelled.

            “So it’s not true?” he asked.

            “N-No. It’s not like that!” she stammered, “I do but not in that way.”

            “I’m confused. There’s more than one way to like someone? I thought you either liked them or didn’t like them.”

            “It’s complicated, Ryu.” She huffed, Crystal giggled.

            “He’s over a thousand years old, and still so innocent in the matters of love.” She laughed.

            “And I guess you have tons of experience!” Rosette snapped.

            “Twenty two boyfriends and been married ten times.” She said taking a sip of tea, “Sparcy has had thirty boyfriends but was only married once.”

            “Hey now, that stuff’s private!” she yawned as she came out of the bedroom. Crystal handed her a cup of tea and took a seat at the table, “Plus, why are you keeping track anyway?”

            “It’s a hobby.” She said, “You haven’t had much luck with men anyways.”

            “It’s not my fault they scare easily.” She said, “One little spark and they called me a witch! Honestly, they thought I was going to turn them into a frog. I mean, who does that anymore?”

            “And then there was that guy who found out.” She reminded her. Sparcy giggled.

            “That one was recent, too. He found out I was a dragon and went to the police.”

            “Oh my God! What happened after that?” Rosette gasped.

            “They took him to a mental institution and gave him a lot of drugs. I go to visit him sometimes to freak him out. It’s really funny.”

            “That’s just mean.” Rosette said, “You’re cold.”

            “I’m not the one who’s cold.” She said, “You have the genuine ice princess sitting right there! She’s done far worse!”

            “Like what?” Rosette asked, becoming interested.

            “You don’t have to tell her about that.” Crystal said.

            “I have to. It’s sharing time.” She said, “Ever stick your tongue to cold metal?”

            “Sparcy! Not that one!” Crystal exclaimed.

            “Oh yea. She caught one of her boyfriends in bed with another ‘maiden’.” She said, “She froze his manhood onto his broadsword! Ended up with the whole thing encased in a block of ice!” Even Rosette shivered at the thought.

            “Remind me to stay on her good side.” She said.

            “If you only knew her real name, you would know exactly what she was capable of.” Sparcy said.

            “What does that mean?” Rosette asked.

            “She’s kind of infamous.”

            “Alright, Sparcy. That’s enough.” Crystal said.

            “But she would have had to tell her real name to someone in order for it to get out, right?”

            “Yes, she made the bond with someone a long time ago, but he died soon after.” She said, Crystal bowed her head.

            “Husband number one.” She said.

            “I’m sorry.” Rosette said, “What happened?”

            “She told him everything. She told him she was a dragon right after they got married, then told him her real name.” Sparcy said, “He even wrote a poem that night for her, accepting what she was, but he didn’t wake up.”

            “The stress of bearing a secret such as that was too much for him.” Crystal said, “He just couldn’t believe that I was a dragon.”
            “Anyway, the poem he had written was found later, and was totally misunderstood and taken from context. Religion came into it and somehow she was labeled as a demon. Stories were written about her, all of them fabricated, but over the years she became well known as a destroyer. I guess by that point, getting your balls frozen to a sword was the least of their worries.”

            “Are you finished?” Crystal asked, annoyed.

            “Hardly.” Sparcy said, “She even used her real name when she wanted to scare people!”

            “Why?”

            “Being immortal can be boring, Rosette.” She said, “It wasn’t anything big, but it was all in fun.” Sparcy said with a smile.

            “So what is your real name anyway?” Rosette asked, “You’ve already made the bond, right? So it shouldn’t hurt to tell me.” The sisters just glanced at each other.

            “Dragon names would sound weird to humans.” Crystal said, “Just keep calling me Crystal.”

            “I would, but I’m still curious.” She said.

            “My father named me after some famous ancient dragon.” Crystal said, “Most people who hear it think I’m actually her.”

            “Who?” she asked.

            “Tiamut.” She said.

            “It is an odd name, but I have no idea about what it would mean.” She said, “I might have to look it up to understand it.”

            “You haven’t heard of the dragon named Tiamut?” Sparcy asked, “That’s surprising.”

            “What about your name, then?” Rosette asked.

            “I haven’t made the bond yet so it’s still secret.” She nervously said.

            “That’s not what I mean. I can see why you call your sister Crystal, with the ice and all, but why Sparcy?” she asked. Crystal giggled.

            “That’s a funny story.” She laughed.

            “Not really.” Sparcy said, “Sis began calling me Sparky after I accidentally electrocuted a few of my boyfriends and the name stuck. I was just learning English when it came time to actually write down my name, and I misspelled it because I wasn’t sure of what letter to use since the C and the K can sound the same sometimes.”

            “That was the first day of school, Sparcy.” Crystal giggled, “The teacher called out your name in class and pronounced it wrong!”

            “Yea, and then that name stuck instead.” She huffed.

            “It’s not like it’s a bad name!” Rosette said.

“So why did you start calling our brother Hiryuu, anyway?” Sparcy asked. Ryu stared at the floor.

“It means ‘flying dragon’ in Japanese.” She said, “I knew I heard it somewhere before and I was sure it had something to do with dragons.”

“How odd…” Sparcy muttered.

“You know, he was going to tell me his real name.” Rosette said with a smile. The girls looked at Ryu in disbelief.

“You were going to bond with her? Right after you two just met?” Crystal gasped, “You must have been really messed up from being frozen.”

“I have my reasons.” He muttered, glancing up at Rosette. He didn’t see the smiles spreading across his sisters’ faces.