The Silver Dragon and the Flower Girl

Mazril had been wandering this world for many years. He had done so long enough that he knew what to expect. Humans were rather protective of their younglings, enough so that they didn’t let them venture far out of sight, leading to his stunned reaction as he stared down at a rather small human.

The lithe dragon stood among trees that towered over him, with leaves that blocked out most of the sky. The sun filtered through the small gaps, leaving little rivers of light reaching for the ground. This forest was older than most beings, and had stood long enough that Mazril couldn’t remember a time without it.

There was enough space between each tree’s trunk that Mazril could walk with ease between them. His scales, shining like liquid silver in the light, stood against the dark greens and browns that dominated the forest.

As Mazril stretched his neck towards the youngling, a little girl from what he could tell, she let out a laugh. The human, with flowing locks that reminded him of gold, was sitting in a field of flowers that had taken over a clearing between the trees. The flowers were like a shrine, bright and bold reds and pinks filling the space dominated by dull and muted greens and browns. They surrounded her alone, the remainder of the grove being made principally of grass and shrubs. As her laughter bubbled out, birds sung in reply.

She let out another trill as the dragon huffed, a small plume of smoke escaping his nostrils. The girl held her hands up, straining for the smoke that slipped through her fingers.

What should I do with you, little girl? the dragon pondered, tail slowly swishing back and forth. Where are your guardians? Mazril lowered his head further, enough so that it brushed the grass and flowers of the grove. His amber eyes blinked at her slowly, and she crawled towards him. Her entire body was smaller than the dragon’s head, and he was careful to not move as she rested against him.

Her small fingers pulled at his scales, but Mazril didn’t flinch. He just watched her, the girl’s eyes shining with a light that so many humans lost as they aged. Despite observing them intently, the dragon couldn’t decide what color they were. It was like someone was shining light through a prism, resulting in a beautiful rainbow. Everytime he believed he had figured out the color, they shifted once more.

The girl, with no prompting, pressed her forehead against the silver scales upon Mazril’s nose. The dragon inhaled sharply as he felt a strange presence surround his body. It was like wind wove around each of his limbs, from his hind legs and tail, to over his wings to where they became claws that met the ground, supporting his weight. As the strange wind danced around his head, he heard the girl's laughter. The human youngling pulled away, grinning at him, and the wind disappeared.

Mazril, scales glinting, didn’t move, even as the girl retreated back to her ring of flowers. That drew his attention downward, and he blinked as he found flowers surrounding him. They had leapt from the circle where he had found the human, and now surrounded Mazril.

He lifted one claw, wing folding tighter, and shuffled his weight. Mazril raised his head from the ground and peered around him. The flowers were only under where he stood, even following the shape of his tail to its red point. He turned back to the girl, who was sitting there watching him with her kaleidoscope eyes.

Travel the world long enough and you hear plenty of things, especially if you have keen ears, but Mazril had only rarely heard whispers of humans practicing any type of magic. Other species, with deeper roots to the earth, had long done so. However, as time went on, magic had largely died out.

They had been taught by the very gods that had made the world. Avalan, the deity of earth, had shared his gifts with the Fae that walked the land he blessed. Tsuna, perhaps better known as Lady of Water, had shared her affinity with the Nymphs. The other main deities had followed their lead, until the gods themselves had faded from the world.

Humans, however, had been made with no special talents, only given what others offered them.

When Mazril was young, the species had walked between their domains and shared their gifts with each other. As time went on, they became reclusive, and did not venture out. Jealousy won out, and they had not crossed paths for several centuries.

There was only one real option for this girl. The humans would likely not accept her, not with her foreign exhibits of magic. Or, they might abuse her for it. Regardless, he hadn’t scented any other presence of humans in the forest than the girl. Mazril lowered his head, and gently picked up the girl by the back of her top. Instead of showing any fear, the girl giggled and babbled.

Mazril could’ve sworn he heard the girl say ‘fly’.

The silver dragon shifted his weight, turning to leave the forest. Once he had left the canopy of leaves behind, he leaned back and spread his wings, revealing the thin, almost translucent, red membrane. The light shining through his wings left a brief red hue on the grass as he jumped into the clear, crisp air.

Dragons had been gifted the ability to wander into all parts of the world, from the rolling forests, to the deep sea and the endless sky, even the deep caverns within the earth. Of course, this didn’t mean they didn’t have preferences or natural affinities for particular places.

Mazril flew as smoothly as possible through the open sky, the up and down motion of his wings becoming a repetitive movement. The gentle push and pull of the wind guided him higher, though he made to stay low enough so the girl could breathe. Time passed slower in the air, as Mazril flew faster than most eyes would be able to see.

Before long, he began to drift downwards as he approached a point where the world dropped off. He circled carefully, peering down at the gaping waterfall that completely surrounded a lush island. The island was dotted with lakes and trees, along with several mountains that could make the largest of dragons look miniscule. Even those mountains didn’t reach the top of the waterfalls. Mazril dove downwards, gently circling as he approached the islands. He kept measuring the youngling’s breathing, making sure it didn’t shift as he descended.

As he dipped past the top of the taller mountains, caves at the base of each mountain came into view. Dragons of all shapes and sizes could be seen along the island.

Some had large tails being used as rudders, scales shining with the colors of the ocean as they lounged in or around the lakes. Some of the smaller dragons were the color of coral, splashing and playing in the water.

In the trees were dragons that looked like they were made of leaves or the trees themselves, blending into their forest. Little dragons colored like a rainbow, easily mistaken for wild birds, weaved between the smaller branches of the trees.

As Mazril entered one of the caves leading down into the earth, he passed stockier dragons that looked like they were carved out of the stone. They moved slowly, in no hurry to get anywhere.

When Mazril and his passenger passed them, the scaly, winged inhabitants of the island leapt into the air to follow him, wondering just what he had brought with him. It was not often any being other than a dragon entered the Embrasé Isle, so all were curious of what was going on.

Flapping his wings in precise, measured beats, Mazril went deeper and deeper into the cavern until the walls seemed to disappear. Gone were the tight tunnels around him, the labyrinth giving way to a huge cavern.

Embrasé Isle was given its name for the ancient magic that maintained it, preserving the cavern that was its own little world. With waterfalls leading to lakes, pillars of earth offering places to perch, and trees that filled it, the cavern was far from cramped.

Every dragon that had ever lived could likely fit into the cavern and they wouldn’t feel cramped. Embrasé Isle, or the Glowing Isle, was named for the way the light shone within this one cavern. Generated by magic from the deity Vitalus, the light emanated from everywhere Mazril looked. The very water glowed, along with gems throughout the dirt and stone. When dragons entered the cavern, the scales reflected that light, making them a beacon.

The youngling laughed as they dove deeper, weaving around the towers of trees and stone and the falling water. Behind them followed the dragons they had attracted outside the cavern, and even more had joined the parade.

Mazril huffed quietly, his hot breath rustling the golden hair of the girl. The dragons were behaving like moths to a flame.

As he came to a great clearing within the cavern, he flared his wings, slowing down. The clearing was filled with dragons of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Some were like those he had passed in the water, others were similar to those he had passed in the forest or near the mountain.

Being as gentle as possible, he rocked backwards and landed on his hindlegs, his clawed wings following. Once balanced on the ground, he continued forward towards the center of the clearing. Lowering his head, Mazril put the girl down on the lush grass.

As soon as her feet touched the earth, flowers sprouted. There was a rumble that went around among the other dragons. No words were needed for them to realize why he had brought the girl here, into a domain no human had gone before. Words were passed around them, some of unease and others of surprise. Mazril’s previous thought of no humans possessing magic was shared.

“What’sss thisss?” a dragon the color of the deepest depth of the ocean hissed, dragging out each ‘s’. “A human with magic? How can thisss be?”

“Not possible!” another roared. “What darkness made this being?”

A cacophony of voices and roars filled the clearing, and Mazril shifted. He had expected the girl to show some unease, but she had stayed calm in her new ring of flowers. He was glad for this, as the squabble between others only increased in noise. Dragons were not known for being quiet. To most of the races outside of Embrasé Isle, they were known as great beasts that ruled the sky, sea, and land. They were treated with deferential respect, and as their maker Abrus intended, they acted as mediators.

Once of age, dragons would leave the Isle and search for those who needed their help. Once, the disputes had been between different races, but since they retreated into their own domains, they had reduced into petty squabbles like trade agreements and the like.

As the others of his kind showed no sign of quieting down, Mazril sighed, a plume of smoke escaping his nostrils as his red-tipped tail lashed back and forth. A dragon with scales of liquid gold, quite like the younglings hair, approached his side.

Lyssun was a dragon born for the air, similar to Mazril. Unlike some of the others of their kind, they had never been overly fond of the sea, trees or underground. They had preferred to spend their time in the sky, weaving in and out of the clouds. It was reflected in their bodies, from their slimmer legs and bodies to their bigger wings. They could fly faster and farther with more ease than those built for the sea or underground.

The she-dragon lowered her head to the girl, her wise pine-green eyes shining. The human extended a little hand to her, pressing it against Lyssun’s nose, and closed her small multicolored eyes. A glance towards the ground told Mazril that his suspicion was right. Underneath the golden scaled-beast was a bed of newly grown flowers. Once the child released her, Lyssun glanced downwards, and Mazril could see wonder swirling in her eyes.

She raised her head, leaving the girl in her rings of flowers. “Quiet,” she roared. Her wish was granted as the clearing quieted around them, save for the rush of water and gentle breaths of the dozens of dragons. “Mazril. Where did you find a human girl gifted with magic?”

The silver dragon ruffled his red-hued wings. “In the Wild Evergreen forest, only a few hundred leagues away.” Before anyone interrupted him, he continued, “She was entirely alone. I did not scent any humans other than her in the forest, and there were no villages for several leagues.”

Vialru, a great dark-gray dragon, bigger and stronger than Mazril, came forward. He was made for the earth, to live in caverns. He had left the surrounding circle of dragons for the internal ring, directly surrounding the girl. “Humans would not leave their young, even if they had magic. Regardless, she wouldn’t have survived long.” He looked down at the girl, eyes like a burning ember, and evaluated her. She stared back, playing with the flowers she sat in. Mazril inhaled briefly, and he did not pick up any scent of fear. She was perfectly calm, her scent of earth and roses not flickering.

Vialru continued, “What did you bring her here for? What did you expect us to do for her? We are dragons, not humans.”

“That is significantly less important than how this human has magic,” Corlaes, scales of deep blues and purples, interrupted. “She possesses something she should not. Perhaps she has been stealing the magic of others.”

Lyssun snorted. “A toddler, Corlaes, stealing the magic of others?” her disbelief was palpable. “She is just a youngling. Our duty, as given by Abrus, is to help others. That includes her, even if you do not like it.”

“Magic has been fading for many years. The Fae, Nymphs, and even the Sprites have lost their magic. The gnomes have not been seen for over a century, despite our efforts to find them. It is rare that any of them possess gifts, when they once had great ones. She may very well have somehow acquired it.” Corlaes lashed his tail, his scent of unease filling the air. His angular head turned to the side as he adjusted himself to make room for another.

Ondru, a dragon made for the coral reefs, had a small stature. He was older than all the dragons present, and was probably the oldest in all of the Embrasé Isles. With his scales a mix of iridescent reds and pinks, he looked perfectly made for the water he spent most of his time. “I don’t believe she is a harbinger of doom, Corlaes. She reminds me of the sun, light and full of life.” Disgruntled and exasperated sighs filled the air. Ondru was a well known pariah among the dragons.

“That does not explain how she has magic, Ondru,” Corlaes said stiffly.

“The how does not matter now. It may in the future, but not now. What matters, my fellow dragons, is the why. She may be a gift from the gods.”

Mazril let out a huff. “Foremost, she is a child. Before she proves herself to be any gift, she should be allowed a childhood.”

“Which brings us back to what you think we are able to do for this girl, Mazril. She would be better off among her kind, or even the Fae or Nymphs.” Vialru sounded sullen.

“Where she would be an outcast? I will not let that happen,” Mazril said defensively. “You are right, we are dragons. I don’t doubt we could care for and raise a human.”

Vialru and Corlaes exchanged looks of disbelief. “You’re not serious,” the former said.

“I think it is a great idea,” Lyssun declared. “We have all lived long lives. We can raise her and teach her to use her magic safely. We can teach her compassion.”

The silver dragon paused, unsure if he agreed fully with Lyssun’s intentions. “You mean for her to do what we do. Mediate arguments.” His tail lashed back and forth.

“I agree with Ondru, I think she was given this magic for a reason.” Lyssun’s horns, sleek against her head, glinted in the light. “We have long searched to mend the bonds between the races of our world. She may be the key to that.”

Ondru hummed. “For now, however, she is indeed a child. We shall raise her as such. One day, she may use her magic to heal the earth and the bonds that connect us all. All we can do, like dear Lyssun said, is teach her compassion. What she does with what we teach her we can only wonder.” The dragon tilted his head, his horns crooked like coral. “I do believe she will be a delightful girl.” With that, the elder dragon left. His exit signaled an end to this get together, and the other dragons filed out. Soon, it was only Lyssun, Corlaes, Vialru, Mazril, and the little girl. They all gathered around the girl, peering down at her.

Corlaes sighed, his deep blue scales rippling with the movement of his breath. “She will not be coddled.”

“Speak for yourself,” Lyssun cooed as she looked at the girl. “She is adorable.”

“If she is to stay here, we cannot keep calling her ‘she’ or ‘human’. She needs a name.” Vialru shifted his heavy, rock-like limbs. He turned his head towards Mazril, ember eyes gleaming. “What shall her name be, Mazril?”

The other dragons followed his movement, turning to look at the silver-scaled being. Mazril’s scales were iridescent in the peculiar light of the cavern.

“Her name shall be Larysa. Lighthearted.”

“A fitting name for a beautiful girl,” Lyssun hummed. “May her life always have light, and let her share her light with others.”

Mazril lowered his head towards the golden-haired girl and found he couldn’t agree more. He wondered what the youngling’s life would bring, and was excited to find out. His tail swayed back and forth.

Larysa laughed as she held out her hands, a beautiful white lily appearing in them. She will do good and wondrous things, Mazril decided. As reluctant as he was to put so much pressure on the girl, he had a feeling. This girl would grow to greatness.

My little lightheart, the dragon sighed. I look forward to seeing you grow.