The Blue Blaze (Revised and Retold)

Prologue

Daveed stared at the picture of his three-year-old toddler. "I'll be back soon," his claw gently stroked the face in the Polaroid. "I promise."

He knew The Arms of Beowulf would come back someday. They always did. He only wished it was later. Much later. Perhaps when his boy was grown and a full-fledged adult. He dreamed of buying his son a .22 caliber rifle, taking him to the shooting range, and teaching him about self-defense and gun safety. His wife wasn't too keen on the whole violence scenario, but no son of his was going to go into the world without knowing how to defend himself. The world is a dangerous place, no matter which world it is.

"It seems that The Arms have gotten stronger this time," said an armor clad, baby blue-colored dragon, Suirauqa. Daveed found it an awfully long name. He took in the creature with its straight, cream horns and equally hued underbelly. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"They're always a little stronger than the last time, Sui. What's the point of me being the hero of Dragonfell if I'm not there to protect the ones I care about?" Daveed sighed and put the Polaroid in a nearby chest. His gilded steel plate armor clinked as he moved.

Sui frowned. "But you have a family now. You shouldn't put yourself in a situation like this."

"I also have a duty to those in Dragonfell." He states "It takes higher priority than my own family, unfortunately. Besides, it's the king's order. I'll come back to earth as I always do, and I'll be plain old David again—a human who works full-time at the local gun shop." He stares out the window, looking hopeful to see his family again.

Sui grinned. "You always had a fascination for weapons. But you know you can't wield them as a dragon, right?"

"Of course, I know. But in my human form, I can."

"But you know everyone will ostracize you if they see you in your human form."

"Yeah, I know that too. Stupid Beowulf cult." Daveed frowned.

"You're lucky I saw you morph into one. If I hadn't known any better, or it was any other dragon, you would've been eviscerated on the spot." Sui flexed his sharp talons.

Daveed could turn into a human and a dragon at will. He was more comfortable in his dragon form. Still, he tolerated his human body if he could be with the love of his life without getting put on a dissecting table by those crazy Beowulf scientists if they discovered him.

He happened across that ability by chance. One moment, he was a fiery red dragon in the war room of the king's castle, strategizing for their next defense. As he sipped some tea that the king's servant prepared for him, he found himself suffering immense pain, he felt his bones snapping and setting into different places, flesh and muscle tore, his wings sank into his back until they were non-existent. He screamed through the entire process as if he was being tortured. Suirauqa was nearby when he heard Daveed's cry and rushed to him, checking to see if he was hurt. Since then, he could shift between forms at any moment. The transformation pain lessened with each shift.

"I wonder if my son will have an ability similar to mine." The thought filled him with awe as he looked out the window of the guard tower on the wall. Yet, he frowned as he would know exactly the kind of pain his boy would suffer through.

"If he does, everyone's going to have a rude awakening. But your wife should already know about it, right?" Daveed gave his cousin a blank stare. "You haven't told her anything, have you?" the baby-blue dragon sighed.

"How would I even start that conversation? 'Hey honey, I'm actually a dragon who can turn into a human. Sorry, I've kept that secret for the last 15 years or so...'" He sighs and thinks about his predicament. He should've told his wife everything about him, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. He had no choice but to keep this secret from her. "It's hard to even think of it. She might consider putting me in a mental hospital at first until I reveal my real form, which might be another headache in itself. What if she flips out, what if she leaves me, what if she tells everyone and somehow Beowulf finds out about me, putting us in danger, what if-"