Tea & Serpents

1-
This is the legend of tea and serpents. The tale of a young girl and the dragon that forever changed our world. It all started on a rainy cliffside village…

Kaijin Village was a small, but flourishing community. There were a hundred or so houses that overlooked the unending forests below the cliff. This village belonged to farming families. Kaijin was known around the world for growing the finest herbal teas.

The economy of the village and the prosperity of her people depended on the crops. The crops depended on the rain. The rain depended on the dragons. For centuries the families of Kaijin Village and the dragons nearby lived in harmony. The farmers would grow the crops, and the dragons would feast on them. In exchange for their portion of the harvest, the dragons would use elemental magic to keep the fields wet. Kaijin tea leaves needed plenty of moisture to thrive. As long as the dragons were feasting, the rains never dried.

Then, came the men in armor as tough as dragon scales…

Ba Sae Tsun was born under the reign of the Carthan Empire. For as long as she had been alive, the girl had never seen a dragon. That didn't stop her heart from believing that one day she would see all the majesty of the dragons in person.

Ba Sae was a good child. At just four and a half years old, she would spend autumn afternoons in the fields with her mother. Together, they would harvest the year's crop.

"Ma," Ba Sae pulled a crunchy yellow flower off the top of the bush, "why are the tea leaves so dry this year?"

Sami Tsun, Ba's mother, kept working the crops. She plucked a golden leaf off the plant and set it in her basket. Carefully, she looked to Ba and then to the armored man standing with an ax across the field. Sami was worried. Her daughter, despite her naive nature, knew something was wrong.

"What is it?" Ba asked Sami.

"We can talk about it," Sami shot Ba a serious look, "when we get home."

Ba would get her answer, but it wouldn't be from her mother. Silently, they worked the field from one end to the other. They only made it a quarter of the way through the harvest before the winds began to race.

Dark clouds swirled black and grey as the Carthan guards gathered.

"It has to be a dragon," one of the guards said.

"Ba Sae," Sami shouted out to her daughter, seemingly drawn towards the gathering clouds. "We must go home now."

Within the spiraling mass of grey, a bolt of golden lightning struck out. A smoking snout emerged from the cloud as ferocious red eyes bore down on the guards.

Ba Sae watched, frozen in amazement. She'd always dreamed of serpents; prayed for their return.

While Sami had been honest with her daughter about why the dragons had left their village, she had been too afraid to speak out against the Carthans. Sami knew better than to wrong them. She had seen the bloodshed that struck the last family who dared to pray for the dragon's return. So, Sami prayed in silence.

Her prayers had come true. This was the first dragon Sami had seen since she was a child. She believed her wishes brought the dragon about. Yet it was a mistake. The dragon Sami had prayed so hard for was flying off with her daughter beneath its taloned grip.

2-
Ba Sae was terrified of heights. As the spiraling blue serpent flew through the clouds, she felt her vision wavering. The child passed out.

While the dragon that carried Ba away was hungry. He had every intention of devouring the child. She wouldn't fill his four stomachs, she'd hardly even fill one. Yet, he was starving. It had been so long since the dragon could graze on the herbs of Kaijin tea. Just thinking about it made the dragon's belly rumble. He swirled through the air idly, dreaming of food. The dragon, so careless in his needful daydreams, hadn't realized he had dropped the child. The dragon shrugged it off and kept flying. She must have fallen into the forest below the cliffs of Kaijin Village.

3-
Sami ran back to her home. Smoke rose from the chimney, across a bone-white moon rising beneath the house. Ba Sae was in trouble. Sami was determined to get her child back, at any cost.

"Where are you going?" One of the Carthan guards asked Sami.

Sami, marching through the village with a long thin sword, headed towards the cliff.

"I'm going to save my daughter," Sami told the growing crowd that followed behind her.

"Against those beasts?" The guard scoffed. "As if your kind has any sort of pull with those seditious serpents."

"You'd be surprised what we had before your empire came," Sami came to the edge of the cliff. She turned to face the crowd. She felt a tug at the corners of her mind watching the villagers. Some of them were cheering. Others shouted that she was insane. Sami looked around the village, in case this was the last time she would see it.

Sami had shed a tear thinking about how the evergreen village had turned to dust; all within her lifetime. The bountiful trees had grown brown and barren, much like the fields of herbs that kept the village afloat.

Sami lept backward, whispering in ancient tongue. As she plummeted toward the forest below, Sami had to believe the spell would work…

4-
Ba Sae was stuck on the branch of a tree. She didn't mind. It was the first time in her life she had seen a tree fully in bloom. The trees back in Kaijin Village could hardly manage to grow a few leaves, let alone provide a canopy. The moonlight cascaded beneath the dancing leaves as a cool wind filled the air.

As beautiful as it was, Ba Sae was starting to feel famished. Usually, at this time her mom would be preparing a stew over the fire. Ba Sae licked her lips thinking about the potatoes and carrots, the creaminess of the broth. What she wouldn't give to share a meal with Sami.

Ba had been in the tree for hours. She's imagined eating everything good she'd ever tasted. Now, she was simply bored. She was starting to wonder if she'd ever get out of the tree. The branch that held her up had torn her dress, harnessing her hundreds of feet in the air. Ba couldn't dare to look down. She was afraid that at any moment she might fall.

Then, she heard the growl. Ba Sae looked to the left of her. Twisted up on the branches was a long, golden serpent with a fierce gaze. The dragon's snout simmered with plumes of smoke.

"I won't hurt you," Ba Sae held a cautious hand out to the serpent. "You're a very pretty dragon."

The dragon lowered himself, coiling up against the tree. While the dragon was frightened, Ba Sae remained calm. The child simply smiled at the dragon before looking out to the forest before them. To her surprise, the dragon didn't move.

Ba and the dragon took turns stealing glances at each other as the moon rose overhead. For hours they say in silent observation of each other. Ba thought the dragon, despite his occasional grumble if she stared too long, was adorable. She wondered if all dragons were so elegant and shiny. Even in the pale moonlight, the dragon's shimmering scales glowed goldenly.

The dragon's stomach rumbled. The beast leaped from the tree and landed on the leafy forest floor. He scurried off through a dense patch of shrubs.

"Goodbye Mr. Dragon," the child waved to her new friend.

Except, it wasn't goodbye. A few moments later, the golden dragon reappeared. He jumped off the ground and spiraled through the air. The dragon stopped before Ba, hovering in midair. Within the creature's toothy snout was a large red and orange mushroom.

"Faeshrums are delicious in a stew," Ba Sae giggled at the dragon.

The dragon's long claws struck Ba. He's cut away her dress from the mangled branches. Ba started hurtling toward the ground.

The dragon, with the mushroom still hanging out of his mouth, swiftly coiled up in the forest below the falling child.

Ba fell into the dragon. Thankful to be alive, she patted him on the head and hugged the dragon.

The dragon didn't exactly enjoy the hug, but he accepted it just the same.

The dragon spat the mushroom onto the ground and with the hot breath of flames, roasted it. Ba could smell the earthy mushroom cooking beneath the dragon's flame. When it was cooked, he used a talon to cut it into pieces. The dragon nodded at Ba and then at the mushroom.

"Thank you, Mr. Dragon," Ba jumped joyously off the dragon. She grabbed a steaming slice of faeshrum. She enjoyed it nestled up against the warmth of the golden dragon.

5-
Sami was utterly lost. The forest was dark, damp, and spooky. Owls cooed overhead as Sami made her way through the dense trees. Sami was thankful the spell had worked. It got her safely to the forest and onto the journey toward her daughter.

As Sami traversed through the thickets, she didn't know she was being folloawed. Iron crashed through the dirt as the Carthan guards chased Sami.

When Sami reached Ba Sae, she felt her knees buckle. Her heart swelled with joy as Ba Sae came running into her arms. Sami picked up Ba Sae and swung her in circles.

"My sweet girl," Sami sang. Her brown eyes were welled with tears. "I thought I would never see you again."

"I'm so happy to see you, Mama," Ba Sae wrapped her arms around Sami's neck.

Sami pressed her lips to Ba Sae's hair and inhaled the scent of her child. It sent a chill down her spine. The child smelt different. There were still the soft notes of Kaijin stems they used to wash their hair, but Ba Sae reeked of sulfur.

"Ba Sae Tsun, why do you smell like you've been sitting around a bonfire?" Sami set her daughter back down.

"Ma," Ba smiled brightly. "There's a dragon in that bush over there. He started acting funny a few minutes ago. I thought maybe he had to potty but he bolted into the bush! I think he's scared of you."

"No dragon would be scared of me my love," Sami assured her daughter, tucking a loose hair behind her ear.

Before Ba could ask what that meant, Sami felt a prick in the center of her spine. A Carthan held a sword between Sami's shoulder blades, causing her to tense.

"Why would that be villager?" The guard pushed the blade in enough to cut through the back of Sami's red robes. A single bead of crimson tricked off the moonlight reflecting on the blade. "What makes you so special you think those beasts won't kill you?"

"Mama," Ba Sae cried out as a group of guards moved in.

"Dragons are not the enemy," Sami spoke with a cutthroat cadence. "Dragons are as important to this earth as any human. More important than the wishes of a Carthan King. Before you took our village by force, the people of Kaijin worked harmoniously with the creatures you call serpents. While you may have pushed them away from prosperity, the connection my people have shared with dragons will never fade. As long as there is the hope of dragons within the hearts of children, the magic lives on…"

"Enough," the Carthan spat.

Ba Sae watched as her mother fell to her knees. The tip of the blade glinted beneath the moonlight as it pushed out above Sami's shoulder. Blood soaked the golden flowers upon her robes. Sami gasped for air, trying to get out her final message. "In my room, beneath the floor, there's a book."

"I love you Mom," Ba Sae cried out.

"I love… you too," Samichoked on her words. "Find the book. I know you'll do the right thing. Bring the rain back to Kaijin. Reunite our people through tea and serpents."

The dragon could sense what was coming. His golden body slithered out from the bush to strike. It was too late.

The dragon may not have been able to save Sami, but he could save the child. With flying fangs, the dragon lunged forward, attacking the guard who killed Sami. Then, he circled back around and swooped Ba Sae up with long grey talons.

The pair flew off, away from the forest towards Kaijin Village.

6-
FOURTEEN YEARS LATER…

A golden dragon in a crackling amethyst cavern. A girl with a worn leather book and a vendetta.

Ba Sae Tsun promised she would seek revenge upon the Carthans. For many years, the thought of mangling the guards as they mangled her mother possessed every waking thought. The only thing that kept Ba Sae from acting sooner was her dear dragon.

Ayrva, despite his aggressive demeanor, was a loving creature. In the time Ba Sae had spent with the golden dragon, she had known him to be a giving creature. While Ba Sae and Ayrva could not communicate with words, they found effective ways to anticipate the needs of each other.

"What do you want to do today?" Ba Sae asked Ayrva. She set the book down on her lap and nestled against the dragon.

Ba Sae looked up at the dragon's large yellow eyes. With the flick of a long thin tongue, and a talon twirling on his tummy, Ba Sae knew Ayrva was hungry.

"You're a dragon man. You could go fetch us a rabbit much easier than I could," Ba Sae crossed her arms and playfully rolled her eyes. She stood up, got her boots on, and grabbed her bow.

Ba Sae's bow was handmade. She carved it out of the finest emberwood branch; flexible, yet ancient and sturdy. Ayrva tempered the wood with his dragon flame. It was a perfect shot once Ba Sae used Sami's book to enchant the string. A single thread of twine could be made to be as unbreakable as iron through dragon magic.

Ba Sae pulled back on the bow. With her eye centered on the tip of the arrow, she summoned an image in her mind. It was the face of Reyvorn, the King of Carthan. Ba Sae spat, feeling the weight of the string on her fingers. She licked her lips before letting go.

That arrow rippled through time. Ayrva couldn't stomach the idea of Ba Sae killing someone. The dragon knew the girl would not be the same if Ba Sae faced the choice she planned to make. Ayrva sent the arrow through the vibrations of spacetime.

A few weeks later…

Ba Sae was in the forest, looking up at Kaijin. She longed for the village. Ba Sae wished she was still a child, harvesting tea leaves at home with Sami. Ba's heart ached for her mother. She would do anything to have her back. But, that was unrealistic. Instead, Ba Sae would have her revenge.

The path from the fallen forest to Kaijin Village was long, uphill, and overgrown. Ba Sae hated the walk but anticipated what was to come. How she longed to strike an arrow through Carthan flesh, especially that bastard king. With each step through grassy hills, Ba Sae pictured a thousand ways to kill Reyvorn.

When she arrived at the edge of the village, the city was alive with joyful noise.

"What's happening?" Ba Sae asked Ayrva as he floated lazily in the air behind her.

Ayrva was floating on his back. His tail playfully flickered as the dragon purred.

"I'm going to need you to be serious," Ba Sae demanded of the dragon.

Ayrva simply shrugged.

"Oh my heavens," A woman shouted in the center of the village. "Everybody run. There's a dragon."

"No," another village responded. "I heard the arrow that killed the King was glowing golden with dragon magic. If I were you I would worship at that beautiful creature's feet."

"Ayrva," Ba Sae asked. "What did you do?"

The dragon shrugged before spiraling away to his worshipers.

Ba Sae was stunned. There were no Carthans in Kaijin Village. Not a single piece of armor stood out against the fabrics of the locals' ornate robes.

Ba Sae had so many questions. Yet, mostly she felt relief. Ba Sae smiled as she watched the farmers throwing coins and candies at the dragon. Ayrva soaked it up for a while before giving Ba Sae a wink.

Then, the dragon swiftly uncoiled and wound his way to the sky. The higher the dragon flew. The further the dragon went, the darker the skies became. Then, as Ayrva let out a sudden burst of flames, the sky broke. Rain began to cover the village, soaking the farmlands that rode across the mountainside. The farmers below the dragon started dancing and singing. Just as they did in the years before the Carthan invasion. All was well in Kaijin Village.

7-
5 Years Later…
It was a warm autumn afternoon. Ba Sae was in lush fields of green and yellow. The tea was flourishing once again. With each leaf Ba Sae pulled from the bush, it reminded her of her childhood. It was as if Sami was in that field, smiling at her daughter. Sami would be proud.

Ayrva was a few yards away scarfing down entire bushes at a time. The dragon would clutch the bush from the base of the stem, rip it from the dirt and swallow it whole. Then, he let out a fiery belch.

"Hey Ayrva," Ba Sae nodded to her dragon.

The dragon nodded, picking a dirty root out of his teeth.

"Thank you for saving me," Ba Sae set her basket down and pulled the dragon into a hug. "You really are the best friend I've ever made. You helped me save my village and all you ask for are leaves. You're a good boy, Ayrva."

Ayrva's harsh scales were scratchy as he rubbed his snout across Ba Sae's cheek.

"I love you too," Ba Sae smiled at the dragon.

Ba Sae & Ayrva spent the rest of the afternoon working the crops. Then, they headed to a cafe near the edge of the village. Tea & Serpents, the sign read.

AUTHOR'S NOTE-
hope you enjoyed my quirky Asian inspired fantasy. I wanted to tell a story not of the hero's journey, but one of friendship and kindness. I chose to make the dragon stop Ba Sae's revenge to keep the tone light. I wanted to show peace over pain. Thanks for following along on my journey! If you've enjoyed this story please subscribe. I appreciate your time.