The Old City

0.53: The Green Dragon

Alaria started, unsure what to say. What did you say when somebody gave you a gift?

The paper sculpture was fragile and intricate. A masterpiece that would have cost more money than she'd ever have on a normal day. But during the Festival of the Sea, even the craftsmen gave away their wares for free.

"Th-th-thank you, Marcus!" she finally blurted out, remembering the words.

His returned smile sent her heart aflutter. Why did he always make her so nervous?

"They say some people actually fly on the dragons," Marcus said, looking at the figure. "I'll tame one and bring it back. We can all ride it and taste the air way above. I bet it's clean. I bet you can't smell any of the filth from the First Ring."

"I'd like that very, very much."

The Huron House, eleven in the morning.

Why did he have to come today, of all days? Alaria was wearing a velvety robe of deep purple, which matched the color of the Senate's stripe. Her emerald eyes popped against their silver liner and would have the effect of disarming even the most faithful man. Her customers would not come this early, but on festival days the girls were paraded around the Rose Path. There were always wealthy visitors and reminding them of the city's luxuries always brought in more business. Her attendants had done her up exactly as she'd requested. Her makeup, her clothing, her very eyes were her armor.

They had never failed her. And yet they seemed to have no effect on this man who'd shown up, uninvited and without announcement, in her chambers. "How did you even get past Lady Huron?"

"She is not nearly as prickly as everyone makes her out to be." Marcus flicked a silver Kait between his fingers and shot her a smirk. "I didn't even have to use this silver. Two bronzes sufficed."

"I do not think so. You are the quintessential bad influence. She doesn't want men or people from our pasts anywhere near her merchandize."

Marcus shrugged. "I may have snuck in then. That makes these few moments even more precious. I don't have much time. We should get goin'."

"Going where? I have business today."

"The Festival of the Sea is a day of free givin'. I wasn't aware that was a part of your business."

She narrowed her eyes and stared straight into Marcus's. The bastard didn't flinch. He didn't shy away. What's wrong with him?

"There are many things of which you seem to be unaware. I go out right now so I may fetch a wealthy merchant for the evening. Or two. Or five. Or however many suit my fancy." Still nothing. Speaking of her clients usually made a man sprint for the door. "You still have not answered my question."

He stepped toward her wooden dresser and browsed the trinkets that sat on top. Alaria felt a red flush rise across her face. Those were her most precious mementos. And Marcus was going through them with his sensitive eye, as though he were reading her very past. He picked one of them up, a green dragon made of folded paper. Its maw was open, and a small piece of red paper signified the fire that was about to burst out of its mouth.

"I recognized this when I came last time. It would have been...nineteen years ago now. Another Festival Day. I told you I would tame a dragon."

"And then you realized they do not exist."

Marcus shot her a quizzical look. "They exist. I saw two during the war, patrollin' the Adair. I don't know how many more are out there, but

"You saw dragons?"

"Oh yes. They were incredible creatures. Scales like gemstones, coverin' their entire bodies and shinin' in the sunlight. One was sapphire and the other a sort of silvery grey. They were each the size of our longship, with wings maybe three times that wide. You'd have never been so in awe in your life. The Riders themselves were towerin' figures. One man and one woman clad in tight, lightweight armor and billowing cloaks of purple, almost the shade of your robe. I'd never seen my captain bend to another person so quickly, even his commander. Those two exuded a presence that was not to be ignored."

"You actually spoke with them?" she asked, incredulous. Marcus nodded.

"The dragons landed in the water and just floated there. I guess they must be surprisingly buoyant to fly so easily. The Riders boarded our ship and told us to steer clear of a Magnarian fleet some miles away, still well out of sight. I don't know what their game was, but I was glad I didn't have to fight that day."

"I always considered the Dragon Riders more myth than reality. The white knights. The protectors. You should have told them to aid Soran. They seem to have forgotten an important corner of the Continent."

Again, Marcus nodded, though he now seemed deep in thought while looking at the dragon. "They had some other mission. But they kept us out of battle and gave my captain a starmap. Helped us greatly, that.

"I don't think I could tame a dragon anymore. How they did it, I'll never know. But seein' two up close, I realize it was the crazy dream of a kid who didn't know anything about anything. That was the first time I had that realization, that there were things I couldn't do.

"I don't have that feelin' now. I still feel the possibility of Soran. The city begs for change. I have that same feelin' from you. There are parts of you that love this. The trappin's of glamor. The attention of important people. The money. But you want more. Seneca's gonna give you your own shop. There is no question of that. Just come with me for today and help me make a difference."

He just wants to use me. Like everybody else.

Then he strode across the room until he stood face to face with her and Alaria could feel his breath. He reached out and grabbed her hand. Was that his heartbeat or her own? His eyes were like coals, hot and intense, and boring into her. But he was not the first man to take such drastic actions.

But those men hadn't known her since she was four. Those men hadn't held her when her father had died, hadn't beat away the boys who had tried to force them on her when she was eight, hadn't come back from the dead to see her again.

"What do you want from me?" she prayed her voice didn't sound as breathless as she felt.

"I want you to help me turn this city upside down."