On the Kings Road

Branathataxis despondently sifted through the bandit remains, the days misty rain already turning the ash to mud. “I left my lair for this? A few coins and a pair of copper wedding bands?” Most days she was The Fire Queen of Crooked Peak. Today she felt more like a wet match lizard. Flying in the rain looking for a snack she had happened across these ruffians, unaware they had wandered into dragon territory. A gentle toasting later, and now here she was, scraping her claws in the mud like an animal.

She heaved herself into the air, searching for where the bandits had come from. They did seem particularly dull witted, perhaps they had left some real treasure behind. There, on the Kings Road was a ransacked wagon. Branathataxis generally avoided the Kings Road, too many Knights fooling about eager to prove themselves against a real dragon. Today’s rain meant they were all at home, no doubt worried about rusting armor.

Branathataxis chuckled to herself as she landed near the wagon. “At least my scales don’t rust”. She began poking about, searching for what treasure the bandits may have missed. Two dead peasants, one dead bandit, and an upturned wagon, its contents of human household goods scattered about the road.

But there, underneath one of the peasants, a gleam of silver. Branathataxis had wasted enough fire for the day, she reached out a claw to fish out the treasure. It was a silver bauble of sorts, with a bundle of cloth attached to it. Branathataxis gave a yank, out from underneath the peasant came a small human child in a green blanket, fist wrapped tightly around the handle of the silver bauble. Branathataxis was not expecting a live human baby at a bandit attack site, and the baby apparently was not expecting a live dragon either, because it promptly began shrieking in the way that only human babies can.

Branathataxis dropped the bauble, stepped back, bumping into the bandit, not quite as dead as previously surmised, who was currently holding a broken spear in an unconvincingly menacing pose. “Well this day IS full of surprises”. Branathataxis stomped firmly on the bandit, removing it from the presumed dead and placing it squarely back into the known dead, punctuated by the bandit's head popping off and rolling across the road.

The human baby stopped shrieking to watch the head roll, and began a new sound, also high pitched but not unpleasant. “Is that laughter? Do you think that was funny?” Branathataxis asked the baby.” Yes, I agree human baby, it was amusing.” The baby let go of the silver bauble, reached out its tiny human hands towards the dragon, fingers waggling in a grasping motion. Branathataxis retrieved the silver bauble, turned away from the baby, and heaved into the air. Human babies were not her concern. She gazed up and down the Kings Road out of habit, watchful for those pesky Knights, but there were still none about. No peasants either, no bandits, no caravans, no humans at all. The road appeared empty. With this rain and no other humans in sight, the human baby was bound to die. Branathataxis was the Fire Queen of Crooked Peak, but she was not needlessly cruel, she did not torture, and that human baby would die of exposure or starvation in a slow and unpleasant manner.

She returned to the ground, landing softly near the wagon, intending to grant the baby a swift and merciful death. The human baby had resumed making unpleasant noise, not as loud or piercing this time. Breathy heaving guffs of noise like a wounded deer close to death. Branathataxis moved in close, when the baby saw her, it stopped making noise, again reaching out its tiny human hands.

Branathataxis curiously reached out a claw. The human baby grasped it firmly with both hands. She tried pulling the claw back, but this baby had a much stronger grip than anything that size had a right to. Branathataxis sat up on her haunches in order to use a second set of claws to try and pull the baby off, but it was so fragile, any pressure might just squash it. Bringing the baby up to eye height for a better look during extraction, she wondered how to get the hands to open. The baby was so small and harmless looking. And it was the only human Branathataxis had encountered which did not seem to fear her.

The baby suddenly let go, Branathataxis instinctively grabbed the baby before it hit the ground, protecting it from harm. She pondered the baby, now nestled safely in her clutches. “I came back to put you out of your misery, did you know that” whispered Branathataxis to the tiny human. The baby grabbed another claw, this time also trying to bite it with toothless gums. “Well I suppose you are not miserable now, let us go home.” Branathataxis retrieved the green blanket before heading back to her lair.

The knights who came to slay Branathataxis often brought human supplies with them such as blankets, food, and medicine. Now dry, warm, and fed, with the silver bauble back in its possession, the human baby seemed comfortable.

“We should be introduced” crooed Branathataxis softly, “My name is Branathataxis. Branathataxis.”

“Bana” replied the baby. “That will do for now” said the dragon.

“I will give you a name as well. Cannot be calling you human baby for the rest of your life. I understand that human names are often related to plants or flowers. Let me see, you have golden silky hair and are wrapped in a green covering. I shall call you Corn”