A Dragon's Treasure

Chapter 18 - Past Transgression

"Logan," Janus said with a bit of surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I have a question about a piece of information in your library, or more, a piece of information I can't find in your library."

"And you are asking me instead of Remus?" Logan and Remus' relationship was no secret, though Remus had spent a lot of time getting to know his brother, Janus had walked in on Logan and Remus cuddled up in the library far too many times for it to just be a friendship.

"I... don't..." Logan hesitated, "I don't want Remus to think less of me, or to worry about why I want the information."

Janus raised his eyebrow, "You have my interest, what is it you are looking for?"

"Roman is going to go back to become king, I know him well enough to know this is true. However, if his mom truly betrayed him in that manner, and I do not doubt Roman's testimony, then he should not have to take on that burden alone, so I intend to go with him."

Janus wasn't sure why he was getting the full explanation from Logan but he listened intently nonetheless.

"And if I am going to be the king's advisor I want to make sure I am doing everything right. I want to correct the injustices that have previously been committed. So... I need to know... what did we do?" Janus wasn't fully sure why Logan didn't want Remus to know about this, but he wouldn't have had the information anyway, at least not as much detail as Logan was probably wanting.

"You have already heard the stories, right?"

"All from the side of the victors."

Janus gave Logan a sad smirk and gestured to a small table before grabbing a teapot. "Are you willing and able to listen openly and with empathy?" Talking about this topic wasn't an easy one for him. It was one of the worst days of his life.

Because of that, he appreciated that Logan didn't immediately respond. He stopped, thought about his answer, and as Janus lit the fire to start the tea, Logan nodded.

"Yes," He said softly, "I am willing to listen."

Janus took in a slow breath, pouring them both a cup of tea. "Most of your cliche human stories begin with "once upon a time" don't they," He asked, looking at the pot of water, "Well, this story takes place less than a hundred years ago, when I was just a hatchling dragon." Already he could feel himself slipping into the depths of his memories. "When I was younger, humans and dragons had a beneficial and collaborative relationship, we traded knowledge and experience. Dragons are adept at magic, as you have no doubt seen, however, humans have an ingenuity about them. They know how to make things to protect their most vulnerable aspects. This is a very useful skill for a dragon to learn because although our claws and scales are mighty, our human forms are lacking. What is a fatal wound to a dragon's secondary form is a mere inconvenience to an actual human. It is a secret that we guarded, even as a hatchling I knew how important it was to not tell others about it, but one of the humans recognized this weakness. He recognized that in these forms," Janus gestured to his whole body, "we are vulnerable."

That was a big reason he added the non-aggression clause to his hoard bond. He couldn't have any of the humans he hoarded try to hurt him because they could. They had far more power than they realized. Janus began to pour tea for the two of them. Holding his own cup in his hands. The teacup became his focal point to a past he wanted to ignore.

"I was still young when they came, we thought it was another diplomatic trade, but this time the king came with many of his knights, brandishing his sword and his might. The first dozen dragons fell before we even knew what was happening. When there was only a handful of us left they changed tactics. Rather than mindlessly hunting us, they set up traps, taking younger hatchlings and using them as bait, luring other dragons and offering them a deal, serve or die. Dragons are exceptionally prideful. I'm sure you can guess how that went."

Logan nodded slowly, and a question was on his lips but he hesitated to ask it. Janus had already provided a lot of information that must have been hard to speak, but Logan felt the need to fill in the gaps, to really understand what happened. "What about you?" He hesitated but started speaking again, "How did you survive?"

"Patton."

The confusion was obvious on Logan's face, and Janus debated leaving it at that. He debated not telling Logan another secret, but he was actually fond of his future son-in-law. Eventually, Janus decided to be kind and elaborate. "Patton is no ordinary human, he's not even an ordinary mage. His kindness is overwhelming and he tends to gather people who are willing to help him. He happened to make friends with a very powerful person who had the ability to manipulate shadows. He pulled me into hiding, kept me safe, and held me as I mourned the loss of my family."

It was a somber memory for Janus. It was his first memory of Patton, but it was also the last memory he had of his family.

For a long time, Logan sat there quietly, "There's... there's not a way any of this could be fixed, is there?" His voice shook with the reality of his country's past. Logan took in a sharp breath and let it out slowly.

"There are legends of people being able to be turned into dragons, a relic that was lost to the ages, but I am far to realistic to believe that that still exists if it ever did." Janus leaned his head back, letting out a breath of fire, just a small puff, and its muteness reflected the pit in Logan's stomach, hollow, and achingly empty. "I don't think it's your job to fix the past, especially when this particular past can't be fixed, but I would like you to take this as a lesson. There are other magical creatures, and I think it is especially important that you never let the same thing that happened to my family, happen to them."

Logan nodded, "Of course, but if I could-"

"Stop, listen, and learn."

Logan bit his lip, nodding slowly. It seemed like Janus didn't want false hope, but if Remus had taught Logan anything, it was that he had to explore every single avenue before admitting defeat.

"Completely hypothetical, if you could find this relic, and there were humans willing to become dragons, would you want to rebuild your species that way?"

"Hypothetically, yes, but you run into a few issues when you come against the idea of why the humans want to become dragons. Many of them would simply be seeking power, and I don't believe that makes a good dragon."

Logan nodded, standing up slowly, "Thank you for telling me, thank you for sharing the burden of that memory with me. If there is more to the story, or if there are books you would suggest, please don't hesitate to tell me." Logan wasn't going to stop doing his own research just because he had gotten a first-hand account, but now when he returned to the castle, he would have a different perspective on the situation.