Dragonbound: Purple Dragon

The Super Duper Awkward Meeting

Crashing into the golden dragon's palace WAS NOT on my bucket list. I doubt it was on Rory's either, but fate has a funny way of stabbing you in the back when you least expect it.
It was all the monkey's fault.
You see, my dear overgrown butterfly which happens to be a massive dragon is a ...vegetarian. I know, I know- I'm still terrified by the thought, but Rory did try eating meat, and she immediately vomited. That's what happens when you give a huge butterfly a hunk of meat. IT DOES NOT GO WELL.
But being truthful, the whole situation was my fault. I was tired of my homeland, located way across the sea. I heard legends of the Great Dragons living at the edge of the world, and decided it was an absolutely great idea to go exploring a completely new and strange place. Rory, my bonded dragon who shared my love for adventure and danger - was thrilled about the idea.
And now, here we are.
We tried to stay hidden as much as possible. Rory isn't exactly the...dangerous type. I managed to get a copy of "The Dragon Hunters Guide" by Kumar Raza, and the book turned out to be super helpful. I managed to learn the basic layout of the islands around us, not to mention the different dragon species and environments.
But the funniest thing was that when we did encounter any dragon, whether hostile or friendly, they would immediately stop in their tracks and stare at Rory in awe for hours.
I mean, I knew my dragon was pretty and unique, but this happened so often, if I had a penny for every time a Great or Lesser Dragon stood still and stared at Rory with wide eyes and jaw agape ,  I would be richer then the Marians.
Rory was a huge dragon, yet nimble and elegant. Instead of two scaly bat wings, she had four, beautiful wings in a circular shape, similar to a butterfly.  She has gem-like azure and bright morpho butterfly blue scales, purple scales on her back, lavender scales on her arms, and a purple snout. Her wings shimmered purple and blue like sapphires and violets tumbled together. Her eyes are violet colored, matching the dragon stone on her forehead.
As I said, the dragon was absolutely gorgeous. By the fountain, a Great Red Dragon swore he would stop eating humans If she'll be his mate.
I wasn't sure how that would work, and Rory and I were more then willing to get away from him as far as we can.
Rory was flying across the Kundiland jungle as I read Kumar Raza's book once more. I was intrigued by the stories of the bond between great gold dragons and the Nagas. It said how it was believed that only great golds can bond with Nagas. And yet, here I am , bonded with Rory, who I categorized as a "Great Pretty Purple".
Rory snorted. Great pretty purple?
It has a nice ring to it. I can feel her shudder underneath me.
Carful Emi. I might go live with that Great Red dragon. His offer seemed tempting. She shuddered. How can any dragon possibly eat human flesh? That's  disgusting.
I chuckled. You are the crazy one over here honey. How can any dragon possibly be a vegetarian?
Apparently that red dragon was ready to.
I burst into laughter. That was priceless. I rummaged through the book in my hands.
So we saw a Great Red, a Great Green, a Great White, a Great Black-
Oh! He was very sweet. What was his name again?
I think it was Indumauli. He was a nice , big ,dangerous fella.
Rory snorted. You just described most of the dragons on this continent.
You know, I expected them to be much more ferocious. I think you charmed them out of the idea of killing us with your good looks.
Well, at least my good looks are being put to good use.
Like causing Red Dragons to become vegetarians?
Rory let out a loud roaring laughter.
I smiled, writing in my copy of the Dragon Hunters Guide.
I'm adding a section about you.  I told Rory. If I ever run into Kumar Raza, Ill give him my copy. He should add you to his book.
Don't forget the part where I cause Great Red Dragons to become vegetarian with my good looks and charming personality.
I smiled. Ill add that in. Not sure about the personality though. You can be quiet the nuance.
Are you sure you're not referring to yourself?
I smiled. And here I thought I was perfect.
Anyways, we still haven't seen a Great Gold, a Great Blue, Copper or Silver.
Don't the Great Gold and Great Blue despise  each other?
Indeed they do. I hummed in thought. The Great Blues seem pretty nasty. Heard rumors their leader is savage and very ill tempered.
I'm sure he's fine.
Well, not sure about that, and frankly, I'm quiet reluctant to find out. These dragons are powerful fighters, and to be fair honey, you're...not.
Rory growled. I tried asking some of the great dragons we met to teach me how to fight, but they're all smaller then me , plus they wouldn't stop staring at me, though Indumauli said if we fly to the gold palace Ill find the perfect teacher there.
That's odd. Can't be a Great Gold- they're not fighters.
I know right? Not sure what he meant. Only one way to find out. Indumauli probably already told them we're coming.
I snorted. I wonder what he reported.
Probably something like a Great Pretty purple is coming your way!
More like a giant butterfly. You sound absolutely terrifying. 
We kept bickering and teasing each other during the whole flight, until we saw the golden palace in the distance.
Wow...it's beautiful, Rory said to me.
I snorted. All I see is a huge hunk of gold.
Rory shook her head, amused.
Suddenly, she let out a burst of panic.
Rory, you ok?
I...I think two black monkeys are in my eyes.
WHAT?  Then just yank them off.
I...don't want to hurt them.
I threw my arms in the air, exasperated. I can feel Rory slowing down, since she was now flying blindly.
This is what happens when you bond with a Vegetarian dragon. They're extremely cautious about killing any living creature.
Rory , for the love of my fallen grandmother, JUST YANK THEM OFF.
No.
So were just going to continue flying blindly, aye? Oh, you annoying dragon! I'm coming.
I slid of my perch, carefully making my way down her snout.
That tickles.
Don't you dare scratch me!
No , its not that ! I-
She was cut off by an enormous sneeze.
I was pushed back forcefully, falling off her snout and falling to the world below.
RORY!
I'm coming to get you! She caught me in her claw, but at the same time smashed her wing into one of the close cliffs, causing us to spin midair.
She hugged me to her chest. I cant stop! My wings got all tangled!
I tried to focus, but I was getting dizzy from all the spinning.
You gotta slow down before we crash into the AAAAHHHHH!
We slammed into one of the palace pillars. In the last moment, Rory doubled forward so her back and wings slammed into the golden poll, protecting me from the hit.
We both groaned simultaneously.
Rory was sprawled out on her back on the golden floor and pillar, her wings spread out all over the place. I was lying on her chest, staring up at the ceiling, trying very hard not to vomit.
Rory, ya dead?
Rory let out a small painful chuckle. I feel like I've been rammed by a great Red.
If only we were so lucky, I said bitterly. Instead we get rammed by golden walls.
Rory snorted.
Okay , get ready - now I'm going to start yelling at you.
Be my guest.
I sat up, staring down her great muzzle .
"It was a DAMN BLACK MONKEY!" I roared, pissed. " You couldn't kill a BLACK MONKEY! You know, he might not even have died if you threw him off. Infact, he probably would've stumbled upon a nice, female monkey! Maybe even started his own family! But no! You had to just LEAVE THEM ME on those beautiful eyeballs of yours! I really hope nobody saw us, because I really wanted to make a good impression on the Naga king and his dragon! I mean, with a name like RAJAHANSA, you never know!
Argh, what's with all these super long names? Why is this side of the world SO FREAKING DIFFICULT?" I fell on my face, groaning in irritation.
Feel better?
a little , I admitted. Thanks buddy.
Rory snorted. No prob bob.
I chuckled lightly, sitting up once more. By the fountain, I really hope nobody-
And that's when I realized- we weren't alone in the room.
Across the room, there was a spread out table, packed with all kind of goodies, but what really struck me were the humans sitting to that table, their dragons behind them, all staring at us .
-saw us, I finished sheepishly. I turned sharply to Rory, who was trying very hard not to laugh. "You knew they were there! you sneeky little dragon!"
Rory couldn't hold it in anymore. she let out such a roaring laughter it echoed across the room, tears streaming down her violet eyes. I tried to stay mad, but Rory's laugh was contagous. next thing I knew , I started giggling as well, ignoring the dumbfounded and shocked faces of human and dragon alike.
I scrambled off of my useless dragon, but instead of sliding down gracefully as I originally planned, I tripped, falling face first on the gold leafing which covered the floor.
And just when I thought I couldn't embarrass myself any more  .
Rory followed suit, straightening herself and folding her wings gracefully, but not before she demonstrated a full stretch of her wings, opening them to their full lengh. I snorted. That dragon knew how to get attention unintentionally , and was an expert, in fact, since I can hear the echos of awe and amazment from every human and dragons mind present in the room at Rory's strangeness and beauty.
"So...ah, is anyone going to help the half dead naga lying on the floor here, or are you just gonna keep staring at my dragon ?"
Immediately I heard footsteps as somebody rushed to my side, coming into my view.
He was strongly built and very good looking, yet his eyes were kind as he examined me for injuries.
"Can you stand?" He asked gently.
"I...I think so". He helped me up as I stood, dusting off my trousers. "Thank you, stranger" I grinned up at him. I looked around me. "You know, I think I hit my head really hard" I told him, starting to giggle. "I mean, there's this huge Great blue dragon in the middle of the room" I started heading toward the enormous beast who I thought was a fragment of my imagination. "You look so real!" I whistled. "And those are certainly very nice scars" I pat the giant beast's muzzle, expecting my hand to go right through.
Except it didn't . Realization dawned on me quickly. "WHHHAAAATTTT?" I shouted, jumping backwards into the arms of the guy who helped me up. I pointed at the Great Blue, who was laughing so hard I thought he would choke. "There's a huge blue Dragon here!" I exclaimed.
The man who stood closest to the dragon chuckled. "That would be Dharanidhar, my dragon".
I looked back and forth between man and dragon. "Wow...that's ...That's amazing!"
The man stopped laughing and stared at me with wonder. Guess he never heard that one before.
I realized I was still in the arms of the guy who helped me up. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry" I apologized, settling back on my feet.
H smiled softly at me. "It's quite alright".
I felt something nudging my leg, and looked down to see a Great Copper.
"Why hello to you too" I greeted, kneeling down to rub his cheeks. The Great Copper purred continently. "Aren't you a nice little strange fella. I'm sorry buddy- I ain't got no copper on me, but I promise to get you soon. It'll be our little secret."
The great Copper did something strange with his teeth which I can only hope was a smile.
"This is Taz, my bonded".
I looked up back at my companion. "And you must be..."
"Karishi" he introduced, extending out his hand.
I stared at him, my eyes teary. I took his hand and forcefully pulled him into a hug, ignoring his yelp of surprise.
"For so long, I thought I was the only one" I whispered in his ear. "Let me enjoy the moment".
I couldn't see his expression, but felt his arms tighten around me. "I know the feeling all too well".
I heard somebody clear his throat behind me, and turned to see the Naga king staring at me with amusement.
" Oy! Where are my manners?" I let go of Karishi , walking toward the Naga king and his dragon. "Guess I got a little over excited" I grinned sheepishly, kneeling down. "Your Majesties". I felt Rory doing the same , probably looking way more elegant then I did.
The Naga king smiled softly. "That was quite the entrance you made".
I grinned. "What can I say? A girl likes to make a entrance". I winked at Rory, who smiled at me warmly. 
The Naga king noticed our exchange. "What is your name?"
I took this as a signal to rise, realizing I haven't introduced ourselves yet. "I'm Emi, and this-" I gestured at Rory, petting her flank. "Is Aurora, but everyone calls her Rory".
The sun cast it's rays through the open windows, making Rory's scales shimmer and glow as everyone turned to stare at her once more. I stared at her in awe. Even with her wings folded, she was an exquisite sight.  Her violet eyes were looking down, and her antennas twitched nervously.
She really did look like an angel. Poor Dragon. I can tell all the attention made her super uncomfortable.
I sent waves of comfort through our bond, glancing  at the Naga king, who stared at her in amazement.
"And here I thought Great White Dragons were the most beautiful dragons on the planet" he whispered. "I've never seen anything like her".
Rory blushed, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. She was so freaken cute.
I tried to change the subject. "We came from the edge of the world. There are completely different dragon species over there".
A man stepped toward me, his eyes curious. I noticed he was the only one in the room not bonded to a dragon, yet he was wearing a heavy duty armor made out of Red dragon scales.
"What kind of Dragon species? He asked curiously, coming to pet Rory's flank as well, stroking her scales soothingly.
She seemed to relax as he continued, and I sent him a grateful smile. "Well, there's three type of dragon species. In short , there's one which resembles a bee, another who's wings look like fallen leaves, and a third which looks like enormous butterflies" I nodded to Rory, who smiled softly. "There's pictures I sketched of them in here, with a description of their looks and abilities" I handed him the Dragon Hunters Guide book. "Please do return the book to me once you finish. That book saved our lives more then once".
The man took the book from me , smiling. ״I see you made good use of my book".
My eyes widened, and I let out a loud gasp.
"Your....your..." I was trying to form a sentence, yet instead stood there with my mouth open like a gawking fish.
Kumar Raza stared at me expectantly , a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
"Your....by the fountain YOU'RE KUMAR RAZA! I CANT BELIEVE IT!" I took his hand and shook it vigorously. "Your SO FREAKEN AWESOME! You're like the AWESOME OF ALL AWESOMENESS! Did I mention how awesome you are?"
Behind me , Rory face palmed.
Raza chuckled. "Quite a few times".
"Your like, my idle! I can't believe it! This whole trip was totally worth it! You're...me...YYYAAAAYYYY!"
"By the fountain, I don't think anyone was ever this excited to meet me" he mused, a little startled by my outburst.
"Well, jokes on them. Umm...you do realize though your in a palace surrounded by dragons, right?" I asked, unsure why Kumar Raza was here.
He let out a hearty chuckled. "Yes, I'm quite aware".
"Oh,ok. Good. Just checking!".
Rory groaned. Ignore her. We've been traveling for weeks. She's gone mad.
"Hey watch it you!" I said as everyone around me chuckled.
"So... are you planning to stay here?" Another man asked, looking similar to the Naga king. Probably his son.
I grinned mischievously. "Right down to business , aye?"
I laughed as the man blushed a fiery red. "Oh, settle down. I was simply joking." I scratched the back of my head, thinking.
"Well, we were planning on searching for the Great Copper, Gold, and Blues, but you just saved us half a trip" I gestured around me. "So...ah, If it's ok, we would like to stay here for a while. It's nice to be around another Nagas, you know? I would love to learn more about Naga History, and Rory here wants to learn how to fight".
Amar looked confused. "Gold Dragons aren't fighters".
"So...the big blue guy in the middle of the room was a fragment of my imagination?" I asked, gesturing at Dharanidhar.
Dharanidhar snorted. In case you haven't noticed, human- I'm blind.
Like that makes you any less dangerous, Rory retorted. Will you please train me?
I've got better things to do then teach overgrown butterflies how to fight.
Rory, to her credit, was unfazed. I smiled. Dharanidhar was totally going down.
RRREEAAALLLYYY, she mused. Like what?
I'm the leader of my pride.
Last time I checked, the pride settled in the mountain peaks, not in the Gold's palace. She slivered closer to him, walking around him slowly. And yet you are here.
Dharidar growled. As you can see, I'm bonded to a Naga , which means I'm part time here.
Doing super duper important stuff, I suppose.
None of your business, butterfly!
Look, we can settle this peacefully, or I can follow you none stop for the next few days until you say yes. Your call. Your the best fighter around here, and I wanna learn from the best, blind or not.
Dhar suddenly grinned. Best fighter around, huh?
Did I say best?  I ment closest.
Dhar's laughter echoed across the hall. Fine, I'll train you, but only because you have a striking sense of humor. He turned around, exiting the hall. You coming? these old bones don't have all day.
Rory smirked at me. Right behind ya, Blue Boy.
Don't call me that.
You bet, Aqua Man.
Don't call me that either.
Well there goes the joy of my existence, Rory muttered, following a laughing Dharanidhar.
I watched them leave. "Well that went better then expected" I mused, turning to Kanvar.
"So...what's there to eat?"