By: QDT

Written as a 'caption story', a story based on a picture. To satisfy your curiosity, it is a picture of a sleeping dragon holding a teddy bear. It's cute.

I opened one jade green eye, the smell of a human wafting through my caves. There appeared to be one near the entrance. It was probably another one of those ridiculous men who call themselves something about darkness, after another one of the elegantly clad women with gold around their brow, which I have not had in a long time, even by draconian standards. I hadn’t even ventured past my kingdoms in a longer time. Really, a human should not have been there. Humans are intrusive creatures. They do not tolerate any other creature if it does not taste or look good on those odd wooden structures they have. It’s quite maddening, actually. They are under the impression that some powerful human resides in the skies, and it is their duty to please this one human. And, apparently, what pleases this human is no dragons, no elves, no house-elves, no faeries, not even any pixies. In fact, they have this ridiculous book, that could be reduced to ash in mere seconds, which tells them all of us creatures more powerful than they are somehow evil and corrupt.

But even though these creatures have such insane notions, I decided to find out what this one wanted, because although humans aren’t threatening in the least, they can be quite bothersome. When I reached the entrance to my cave, all I saw was a few boulders until I lowered my eyes to a level that was low even by human standards and saw what looked like those things they call - erm, toys. Wait, that’s not right. Boys! That’s what they’re called. Humans make up so many different names for young ones. It gets right confusing. The boy looked up at me and its - no, his - eyes widened. He murmured something that sounded slightly resigned, but I couldn’t quite hear. I looked down at him, puzzled,

“Sorry, speak up, child, I can’t quite hear you.” He seemed amazed that I could speak. Apparently humans don’t think that anything that isn’t human is capable of intelligent conversation. He blinked several times before replying, “Why don’t you just eat me and get it over with?” This surprised me slightly. Had the humans thrown out one of their own? I had always thought that, although they quarrel often, they still didn’t treat humans the way they did creatures that are - erm, cute? - as little ones, but then grow into “vicious beasts.” Glancing at this boy, I could tell from his aura that he had been hurt emotionally, though not physically. But dragons can be killed by emotional pain, and that can make us protective of anything that has been hurt, even if it’s a human.

“Why don’t you come in and tell me why you’re not inside your, your - um, house - in the village, or whatever it is you humans call groups of homes. There’s listerblossom tea and some scones by fire, and they should still be hot.” I unfolded a golden wing to use as a step up to my neck. Dragons can carry a great deal at the base of our necks, and one human is hardly noticeable. He clambered awkwardly up to my neck and grasped my scales with a grip surprisingly strong for something so small. Maybe he thought I was going to fly up and then drop him from a height that would kill him. Honestly, how should I know what heights would kill a human? Does he think that I generally spend my time grabbing random humans and dropping them, just to see if they die? A life, even a human life, is no plaything.

We reached my main reading room. It is the smallest section of my caves, and I thought it was quite cozy, the room is already rather small, and it’s full of random clutter, but the boy looked absolutely miniscule in the chair I had him climb off into. I frowned. I didn’t think humans were that small. I would have suspecting him of making himself smaller so as to look less dangerous, but I knew that humans - even humans that were half elf or fairy - were incapable of such feats. Humans really can’t do much. And I can still defeat them, even now, in my old age.

That boy was quite intelligent for a human, and he stayed with me for many years. Then one day one of those girls with gold around their brows came to my cave. She was also intelligent for a human, and they ran off to rule one my kingdoms. Long lost heir, you know? I never did find out exactly what happened to them. And now it’s too late. Chances are, they lived so long ago that they’ve even passed out of written history. But there are tales, some that even go back before written history. Perhaps one of those is based on them. And tales generally end in “happily ever after” or some such fiddle-faddle. Perhaps that is the way of humans to tell others that the tales have no sure ending, so they just stick that generic ending on everything. Maybe they are simply bedtime tales, meant to sooth small children into sleep, with the idea that “good” always triumphs over “evil.” In any case, I cannot find out, and it is of no importance to you.

And so I shall leave off this on that note, and hope that perhaps, for a few short years, you may be as happy as that boy made me. He was kind, and although our two kinds do not generally interact, I grew rather fond of that boy. And now, as my scales have turned from my rare golden color to the red of old age, I still draw comfort from a little toy he left with me.

Written 1637 of the Draconian Age by Her Royal Majesty Queen Meliara.