Heart of Gold

Carreen stared down from the cave entrance toward the smoke-filled village. Smoke enveloped the forest around her, making every rock and tree appear to her like a menacing monster. Somewhere below was the real monster, slithering through the town, searching for anything that glittered.

Greedy creature.

Footsteps echoed behind her, and Carreen turned to see her grandfather walking toward her. Her little sister, Willa, clung to his hand, sniffling, her eyes shining with tears.

Grandpa Alger sat down on the cold rock next to Carreen and sighed. He leaned a hand on the damp cave wall, and with the other, beckoned for Willa to sit in his lap.

“I thought we’d come up here for a little sunlight. Plus, I didn’t want the others to hear the tale I’m about to tell if they don’t want to,” he said. “When people are upset, they don’t usually want to hear anything that might make whoever did it to ‘em sound like they may have a heart.”

I hope he’s not referencing the dragon, Carreen thought.

“But all that to say, I have a story I thought could help Miss Willa here,” He continued. “Willa, did you know I’ve met a dragon– and survived to tell the tale?”

Willa wiped her eyes and looked up at her grandfather, her big brown eyes widening with amazement. “Really?” she whispered.

“Mhm. Are you interested to hear the story?”

Willa glanced out the cave entrance toward the burning castle that loomed above the village, and then back at Grandpa Alger. She nodded her head, a little reluctantly.

“Now I’ll warn you, it’s a sad story, but a good one to know nonetheless,” He said, clearing his throat. “It all started on a snowy day, about 50 years ago. I was just a young man back then, still learnin’ to hunt. A friend of mine had bet me that he would get to see a dragon before me, so I would always hunt in the areas where I would hear of people goin’ missing and whatnot.

"Foolish, I know,” He added when Willa squeaked. “But I didn’t want to mess with one, just to get a glimpse of it! So I would hide in the trees by the farms and wait, and shoot arrows at any animals that came near. That’s how I ended up where I was that winter night, right by Forvie Street in the village of Moray, you know what part I’m talking about, Carreen?”

Carreen’s mind flashed to memories she had of that street. Her father would always tuck his money safely away before heading in that direction, to prevent pick-pocketing. “Yep, I know the place,” she replied.

“That night, I was hiding in a tree on the edge of the forest, just beyond the road. That’s when she showed up. A young girl not much older than you, Carreen, carrying a baby– but the child wasn’t crying; she was.” He stared out of the cave entrance, toward the sky. “I watched as she kissed that little baby and laid it down on a blanket in the snow, stood up, turned, and walked away.”

Willa’s eyes were wide.

“I know, Willa, I know,” said Grandpa Alger, stroking her hair. “I hate that I have to tell you that part of the story, but it’s the reality that sometimes, people in desperate situations do unthinkable things. I wish it weren’t true, but it is.

“Anyway, the scene tugged at my heartstrings, and I was sitting there thinking that I would go down there and grab that baby to take it home with me when something whipped in front of my face. Scared me half to death, I about fell out of that tree,” He chuckled a little. “I didn’t know what it was, so I looked down, to see if something had fallen on the forest floor. And there I saw her. The dragon.”

Willa gasped. “You were that close to the dragon?” She clutched Grandpa Alger’s sleeve, her knuckles white.

“Yes ma’am I was, and that was her long tail that had almost caused my early demise,” He responded. “She was right there under me, her scales glinting in the moonlight. It took me some staring to figure out what I was looking at, but as soon as I saw those giant glowing eyes, they gave her dead away.”

Carreen’s brow furrowed. “But… How did you not hear the dragon arrive?”

Grandpa gave her a look. “That’s the thing about dragons. They’re extra dangerous because, despite their size, they never make a sound they don’t absolutely mean to make. I don’t quite understand it to this day, if I’m being entirely honest.”

Must be dark magic, Carreen thought.

“Point is, there was the baby, there was the dragon, and there was me– shaking like a leaf in the tree.”

“Did you grab the baby?” Willa said, leaning in.

Alger leaned back, pretending to be shocked. “Did I grab the baby? That dragon’s big toe was as big as my shin! Psst, I wouldn’t’ve stood a chance! I couldn’t do anything but wait and watch.

“That’s when the baby started to stir. I think it had been given some type of poppy wine to keep it quiet, because it had been sound asleep before then. But suddenly, that baby yawned, stretched, and lifted its eyelids to find itself staring straight into the eyes of a full-grown dragon.

“And then, it laughed.”

Carreen and Willa both gasped this time.

“It. Laughed! Bravest little thing I’d ever seen, laughing in the face of a dragon while I was cowering up there with hardly enough courage to even look at it.”

“I hope it survives, poor thing. Sounds like he or she would be quite the mighty man or woman,” mused Carreen. Plus, at times like the present, it would be helpful to know a person with no fear of dragons.

“Shhh, we’ll get there,” Grandpa replied. “Well, when the baby laughed, the dragon jumped back, and then leaned closer. That’s when the little thing reached out a hand and placed it on the dragon’s snout. I thought I was about to watch that kid get eaten alive, but to my utter shock, the dragon leaned into the touch and closed her eyes.”

Willa jumped to her feet. “You’re telling me a story!” she accused.

“Am not,” retorted Grandpa Alger, in mock indignance.

“You are! Dragons eat people, Grandpa.” She put her fists on her hips, and her lip started to quiver.

Grandpa Alger’s face softened, and he reached out his hand to wipe away a tear forming in Willa’s eye. “Willa, no, darling, I’m not telling you a story. I was really there, and this really happened, I promise. I know it sounds unbelievable, but I wouldn’t tell you a lie.”

She sniffed, and her expression changed from one of accusation to one of questioning. “But why wouldn’t the dragon eat the baby?”

“I don’t know, exactly, but in the years past I’ve had my suspicions,” Grandpa said. “It was mid-winter, and early winter is the time when dragon eggs usually hatch. I’ve wondered whether the dragon had been supposed to be a mother…”

“...and after her loss, she saw the human toddler and her instincts took over,” said Carreen. If dragons can even have motherly instinct.

“Right. Or she was lonely, and seeing a human smile at her instead of screaming and pulling out a sword was all it took to earn her kindness. Dragons are very smart, you know, and not so different from people. This experience taught me that they may not only have minds like us, but hearts, as well.”

Carreen was skeptical. “Just because she didn’t snatch that baby up and gobble it down right away?”

“No, no. Because of how the story ends.”

“Fine. I’ll hush up then.” Carreen said, rolling her eyes and leaning back against the wall.

Grandpa Alger patted his knee, and Willa took her place in his lap once again. He continued. “That night, I learned to pick the trees I choose to climb more carefully. I didn’t know it yet, but that tree and I were about to get to know each other really well. The dragon scooped the baby up with her snout, tucked it under her wings, and it went right to sleep. That dragon did not move a muscle all night– didn’t even close her eyes.

“By the time the sun was coming up, my back was hurting like never before, and my stomach was growling so loudly I was afraid the dragon was going to hear it. But my appetite was out of luck, because that dragon did not move anything other than its eyes the entire day.

“Usually, you find that wild animals are skittish when humans make their appearances, but I guess a 50-foot-long beast with teeth the size of melons doesn’t have much to be skittish about. I watched the dragon's eyes all day as it observed the people going in and out of the buildings on Forvie Street. I watched her focus narrow every time that child’s mother came out of one of the buildings– how she knew which one its mother was, I don’t know– perhaps she seen watched the mother leave the baby– but she knew, that’s for certain. Whenever the mother was passed a coin or two by a passerby, whenever a family would stop and pass coins for food to the vendors, I knew that dragon was thinking hard about it all.” Grandpa Alger sighed.

“That’s so strange. I wonder why she took an interest in the mother,” Carreen mused.

“Not only that, but why was the dragon so close to the village in the first place?” Grandpa Alger added. “I can’t help but wonder if she hadn’t been observing the town for a while, the way her concentration was so fixed.”

“Maybe she was looking for her lost baby,” Willa added, in a serious tone.

Grandpa smiled. “I don’t think it was that, but if she had been supposed to be a mother, well, grief is a funny thing.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I suppose the dragon’s dark scales worked as pretty good camouflage, even in the melting snow, because no one ever looked over towards the forest long enough to notice us. I don’t know how that baby never woke up. I guess the poppy wine still had a hold.”

Willa frowned.

Grandpa Alger continued. “Right as the sun was setting, the strangest thing happened. A royal-looking, gilded carriage rolled straight through Forvie Street. It stopped for a moment to let a cloaked man get off to go into a building. It lingered for a moment while the man was inside, and then when he came back out with another cloaked person, they left. I was still watching the golden carriage drive off when suddenly I looked down, and there was the baby, sound asleep on the forest floor– but no dragon to be seen.”

“Wow, she really must’ve been quiet!” Willa said, with awe.

“Yes,” Grandpa Alger said. “I didn’t hear a sound when she left. Just… Poof, gone. I waited a few minutes, shimmied down the tree, and scooped the baby up. I was preparing to run off with the child when I looked up and saw the smoke.”

Aha. “No!” Carreen interjected. “Just when I was starting to like this dragon-”

“Wait a minute, Carreen, I’m not finished,” Grandpa Alger said, slowing her. “When I saw that the castle was on fire, I put two and two together and-”

“All dragons ever are is greedy. She smelled money, and she abandoned that baby to follow it. So much for grief and loneliness.” Carreen crossed her arms, turning away.

“No, Carreen, wait,” Grandpa answered her. “I’m asking you to let me finish.”

Willa pulled at his sleeve. “Please!”

“I took off running towards the castle. It wasn’t far- You’d be surprised how close Forvie is to the palace, considering the difference in wealth. When I reached the gates they were open, and people were pouring out. There was screaming everywhere, and smoke so thick you could barely see a few feet in front of you. But after watching that dragon all day, I had a feeling I knew where it was headed.”

“Wherever the gold was,” Carreen muttered.

“That’s right.”

Carreen snorted.

“The baby had woken by then and was clinging on to me for dear life. I felt bad for bringing a baby into a place so dangerous, but I knew I needed the baby for what I planned to do. As soon as I had seen the smoke at the palace, all of my fears about this dragon had vanished. I was sure my plan would work.”

“You ran into a burning building with a baby to try to stop a greedy dragon.” Carreen looked at him like he had lost his mind.

“Yes. I followed the sound of the dragon’s roars, and when that led me to the treasure chamber, I found it unguarded– Abandoned. I ran right in to find the dragon looming above the prince, the treasure behind him. He held a sword between her and himself, but I could tell he was well on his way to becoming quite the expensive steak,” He said, with a teasing glance at Willa. She was not in the mood for jokes, however. Her face was a picture of perfect gravity.

“I knew he had a daughter– a baby princess born a few years earlier. So, I threw myself between them and held up the baby to the dragon.”

Both Carreen and Willa gaped at him.

Grandpa nodded seriously as if to remind them he wasn't lying. “The dragon froze. Her pupils went wide, and then her gaze changed from determined fury to contentedness when I pulled the baby down into my arms. After a few seconds of staring me down, she was gone, just like that, and I was left in the treasure chamber with a bewildered prince. Do you understand now, Carreen?”

Now it was Carreen’s turn to stand. “You’re not implying the dragon was trying to get to the treasure chamber to…”

“To steal some gold so that that mother would be able to keep that baby? I am.”

“No,” Carreen said. “No! Why would-”

“Why else would the sight of the baby, held safely in someone’s arms, cause her to turn away from all that gold that was as good as hers?”

“I don’t know, I…” Carreen was confused. “But there are evil dragons, there are.”

“You’re absolutely right that there are evil dragons,” Grandpa Alger responded. “But I don’t think this was one of ‘em. In fact, I wonder how many other dragons have observed our ways and decided loads of treasure would be better in their hands than ours.”

“But what happened to the baby?” Willa interrupted.

“Shows how much you care about me!” Grandpa Alger teased. “I, for one, fainted out of lack of food and smoke inhalation. But the baby–” his eyes sparkled– “Well, that would be your father.”

Both Willa and Carreen’s eyes grew wide, and they looked at each other. “How come I’ve never heard this story?” Carreen asked, after a moment.

“You’ve never asked.” Grandpa Alger looked pleased with himself.

Willa jumped up. “Does Daddy know this story?”

“Yes ma’am, he does.”

“I’m going to go tell him that now I know it, too!” Willa took off running back down into the cave, where her father was helping prepare cots for more of the refugees from the castle.

Grandpa Alger laughed as Willa ran off. “What do you think of the story, Carreen?”

She sat back down and paused for a minute, contemplating. “You know who the father was, don’t you?”

“I believe I do.”

“Did he recognize...”

“I don’t think he knew. I think the carriage was there to make sure the baby was gone, and to pay off…someone for its disappearance. Maybe even to collect or dispose of the mother for her knowledge, because I never saw her again.”

“Why didn't you tell him?”

Grandpa Alger sighed. “I don’t know. When I saw that prince standing between the dragon and the treasure when he had a little girl to stay alive for… I just couldn’t bear to hand a baby to a man who would put his life on the line for a bit of gold.”

Carreen looked again at the burning castle, tall and imposing above the village, its grandness posing a stark contrast to the thatched roofs. “I don’t blame you at all.”

…

The chilly wind whipped Carreen’s cloak as she trudged through the snow toward the top of the mountain. She had almost reached her destination.

In the moonlight, she could just barely make out the outcroppings of the cave ahead of her. Was this the same cave she had sat at the edge of with her grandfather all those years before? She couldn’t tell for sure. But she could see the smoke trickling out from inside the cave, letting her know she was in the right place.

As she got closer, she could see a bright, warm glow coming from deep down in the caverns. It was unnaturally bright for light from a fire. It seemed almost as if the cavern would have to be covered in mirrors to create that much light.

She crept quietly down the passageway towards the glow. The cave felt warmer and warmer with every step she took, thawing her freezing hands and cheeks. She stepped as lightly as she could, hoping not to make a sound.

Finally, she took a deep breath and rounded the corner to enter the bright cavern.

An earthshaking roar met Carreen’s ears as she found herself face with the most majestic creature she had ever laid eyes on. The dragon’s shiny black body reflected the firelight, her dark color made even more striking by the contrast of the golden treasure surrounding her. Her golden eyes seemed to glow. Her giant wings were long and elegant, covered in thousands of tiny scales, each catching the light and sparkling like stars. Her throat was glowing with the embers of her last fire, ready to warm again at a moment's notice. She bared her huge, white teeth, and seemed ready to strike.

Carreen’s instincts were to cower in fear, but she stood her ground and dropped her cloak.

The dragon’s eyes widened and then softened at the sight of Carreen’s round belly. They held each other’s gaze, and then the dragon leaned back, lifting her wings to reveal two young dragons, curled up next to each other, asleep.

Carreen smiled. “They’re beautiful,” she whispered.

The mother dragon nuzzled them each, one at a time, and then covered them again with her wings. She relaxed her stance and cocked her head at Carreen.

“I need help,” Carreen whispered. She gestured to the treasure. “My husband is missing…” She looked again at the dragon, hoping she would be able to see the truth of her story in her eyes.

The mother dragon seemed to understand. She turned her head away, using her snout to push a pile of treasure toward Carreen.

Carreen stooped down, maintaining eye contact with the dragon, and picked up some of the golden trinkets. She pulled a satchel off of her shoulder and placed them inside. When she had finished, she stood up, placed the satchel back on her shoulder, and bowed.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

The dragon met her eyes and then blinked, slowly. A sign of trust.

Carreen did the same and turned to leave. As she walked away, the glowing cavern silhouetted behind her, she remembered the words of her grandfather.

Dragons are very smart, you know, and not so different from people. They may not only have minds like us, but hearts, as well.