Dragon Blossom

The road to Artemia

Frey awoke on his improvised cot in the officers' tent. Runa had taken Eri to the one she had shared with him until last night. The space was precarious and they had decided in favor of Runa taking care of her. The girl had been very obedient so far. But Frey still worried that she could be dangerous. As much as they sometimes forgot it, she was a dragon. Well, today he had to explain it to his men. The horns and wings, along with the girl herself, had been impossible to hide.

The meeting with the other generals was intense, even Jimmer, his most loyal, had his doubts. Some didn't believe she was a dragon, others feared she would transform into a giant beast like the man in the castle. Others had shown compassion or assumed she was a human girl, victim of some curse; for Frey, nothing fit except what he already knew. When he managed to restore order, the problem was convincing his peers that she was harmless, and also, as an infant, deserving of help and care. He himself had been an orphan of the war with the dragons, so despite not feeling very capable, he argued in favor of helping her. In the end, out of respect for him, everyone ended up giving in, but under his responsibility. His rank was high enough to impose himself, and if not, Runa was the princess, her vote would be definitive. But it wasn't necessary. Still, he feared he had raised a shadow of fear among his men. If Runa and he decided to adopt Eri as she wanted, it would be one more obstacle to avoid.

The king of Artemia, Runa's father, was a pure elf, in a kingdom full of people of both races, he had married a human. Half-elves like Runa had all the advantages of elves; a long life and youth, affinity with magic, and an ethereal beauty, but unfortunately they were all sterile, whether they lay with elves, humans or other half-breeds. Motherhood was forbidden to Runa in exchange for being otherwise an almost perfect being.

The king had consented to their engagement, but things were complicated. The kingdom would need an heir someday, however distant given the longevity of the elves, it would eventually arrive. The queen had been deceased for decades and the king would not accept any consort. It was Runa's destiny to rule someday. For her, Eri was perhaps the opportunity to be a mother. But, could Eri inherit? Would they allow it assuming she grew up to be a... good person? Because Eri was a person... Damn, if he thought that, every dragon he had killed in his life was too. His head ached from so many thoughts, whatever he did, he betrayed a part of himself.

Eri ran past at full speed, which at her age meant barely faster than the adults chasing you, but enough to exhaust them. She seemed to be carrying something in her teeth.
"Eri!" Frey said, grabbing her by the collar of her dress. "What are you carrying there?"

"mpmhmhmph" The little girl was carrying a roast chicken leg that she had apparently stolen from one of the bonfires. She destroyed it by clenching her teeth; she chewed skin, meat and bone as if it were a cookie before continuing. "Those men wouldn't give me food, they said it had to be on the fire longer, but their fire is silly, it takes too long, I burned mine in a swushhh! and they got mad, why do they use silly fire instead of burning their food like they should, dad?"

"Eri, you always have to ask permission to take things, also remember that not everyone can burn their food alone, Eri is special."

"Dad can't either?" Her eyes widened in disbelief."No," he said.

"And mom?" Great, Runa had finished putting it in her head that they were now her parents. Jimmer would surely bother him the whole trip.

"No Eri, only you can. I'm not mad, but never take anything without permission even if you're hungry or even if you can do things better." He stroked her head as he spoke, the gesture came naturally, as if he had done it before.

"It's okay, Dad," Eri said, smiling, showing large fangs... Did she have them before? "I'm going to play with the chickens we haven't eaten." She ran off after a hen, the soldier who had been chasing her agreed to let her be when Frey promised it wouldn't happen again.