#dragon sprite

THE DRAGON

The dragon found the sprite near dawn.

By this time, she’d hidden the sorcerer and his heart away in her new home, one far away from the wooden, ivy-entwined frame of the witch’s house, from Howl’s moving castle, from Swynlake and its mundane, antiquated charms. She had flown straight for the quarry and broke the stone with a mighty swing of her tail. She’d felt the eyes of the trolls, watching as the dragon breathed fire into the mountain.

Soon they would all know that it was hers now. The quarry, the stone, the crystals inside. She was building. And stone by stone, treasure by treasure, magic for magic, her fortress was born.

It would not be complete without the little sprite though. The dragon remembered her sweet heart-shaped face and the taste of her sadness-- and beyond that, the scent of her magic, smelling of sunlight and springtime.

The witch wanted her. The witch, who was sleeping now, but dreamed anyway of the home she’d never been bold enough to take for herself.

The dragon would make the witch’s dreams-- and so much more-- come true.

And so the dragon launched from her den and flew back down into Enchantra wood. Her shadow moved over the ground with the moon on her back; the critters scattered, rushing to hide, smelling the dragon’s smoke trailing from her nostrils. She could hear all of them, and the voice of the forest too, for she was a creature older than them all, as old as the roots that had built this land.

Find Soleil, the dragon hissed. The trees shivered as she passed, her wings sweeping wind through their branches.

When she finally landed, her claws dug trenches into the earth. The dragon’s tail lashed through the small clearing. Her eyes-- gleaming red as rubies in the blue morning light-- found the sprite hiding among the holly bushes.

There you are, the dragon’s voice echoed through the forest. Her lip curled back. Peek-a-boo, little one.

THE SPRITE

Soleil had been asleep when the forest had called to her.  It had come softly at first, a slight whisper that felt like a familiar and gentle caress. Something was changing, something was different. Though she stirred she didn’t think much of it. It was not an urgent call after all. But when it came again, this time loud and terrified, Soleil moved quickly

There was an intruder in the forest, there was danger. And that danger was looking for her.

Dawn had not yet arrived, the sky was still an inky black as she dressed quickly and reassured her plants. They were worried, scared. They fretted, reaching out to her out of fear. This stranger was dangerous. The trees said it was a dragon, that it’s shadow loomed over them like death. If Soleil went to it she would not come back. There was no way that she could.

And still she went. The sky lightened some as she walked with her head held high. She was going to meet this dragon.

The clearing was devoid of any creatures. Most of them had scurried off, scared of the large dragon and it’s smoke. There was even a part of Soleil that was scared, worried that she would anger this creature and the forest would suffer because of it. It made her think of her home and the fire that had devastated it so long ago. She would not let that happen to Enchantra. She could not let it happen to this home.

She was surprised when she could understand the dragon, the shock no doubt registering on her features as she stepped forward into the clearing. “How do you know my name? And what are you doing here? There has not been a dragon here since…” Since Haku she wanted to say but she didn’t, she just pressed her lips into a hard line as she stared into those blood red eyes. They gleamed like fire and she wanted to go back to her little hut. “You will not cause any harm to this forest.”

 THE DRAGON

If laughter existed in the language of dragons, then she would have laughed-- laughed with all her dangerous breath, so the dying night lit up with spark. That, in human terms, was the language of laughter for dragonkind: fire.

But she was not here to make kindling; she was here for an ally She would not fetch her through flame, for flame was not the sprite’s language, and neither was blood or claw. But the dragon was a cunning sort anyway (as most dragons were). She had lived much longer than even the sprite. She was from the childhood of this earth, the wild years, when the sky was full of her sisters and her brothers. Then, the sky had burned red with fire--and that was how the sunsets had gotten their colours.

There were sprites such as the girl then, too, sprites that zipped through the tangled jungle of an earth yet-to-be-tamed by the hands of humans. The dragon remembered those sprites as she looked at Soleil, though it struck her--  this one had the eyes of a human, didn’t she? Beyond her magic, there was a girl tucked inside, like a little blossoming seed.

This, the dragon found amusing, if not ironic. For wasn’t she the seed tucked inside the witch?

Though not anymore. She had burst free.

Funny little thing, she chuckled anyway. I see why my witch is so fond of you-- you’re brave, despite your size. Brave and passionate and… loving. All wonderful qualities of a spring sprite, though none which would help you fight against me. This is my forest now. The dragon lifted her mighty head, eyes slanting as she looked down at the sprite. The line of her mouth twitched, a fang glinting. But this should cause you no alarm. Before your time, dragons were guardians of ancient forests like this one. We made these forests stronger.

But a guardian is not a caretaker, the dragon went on. Which is why I have sought you out. Melaenis, the witch, was my keeper. She loved you, little one. She loves you even now-- for she is I, and I am her, and I love you.

She bent down her head, sweeping her tail around her legs.

And we hope you will join us.

THE SPRITE

The dragon chuckled and Soleil wanted to take a step back. The acrid smell of smoke flooded around her and for a moment she was thrust back in time.

No longer was she in Enchantra. Instead she was in Scotland, the farmhouse she’d grown up in a few miles away as she milled about the forest. The air was thick with smoke and all around her the creatures of the forest ran, fled, from the red flames licking their way up the trees. Her arms were laden with creatures that were too slow to get away. Even at seventeen she was determined to save as many as she could from the horrors that were unfolding around them. It was… It was terrifying. She could feel the panic and smoke filling her lungs and constricting her airways.

It wasn’t until something soft and very much alive touched her shoulder that she realized the forest wasn’t burning, the dragon hadn’t breathed its deadly fire and caused destruction. A hand drifted up to pet the vine, letting her own magic flow through it in thanks as she looked back towards the dragon.

The dragon was… Mel? How was it possible? She didn’t understand. Mel wasn’t a dragon. She couldn’t be. Of course it would explain Maggie Rose but--- Mel would have told her if she was a dragon. Or that was what she thought. They were friends. Soleil adored her and was indebted to her for all of the help she’d been given.

“What do you mean you and Mel are one? How do you know all of this? Why do you want me to come with you?” Her brow furrowed as she asked these questions even as she took a step forward. Her fear was quickly becoming overwhelmed by her curiosity. She wanted to know more about this dragon who claimed to be Mel, or a part of Mel.

Again she took another step closer, closing the distance between them. She wanted to see if there was a piece of Mel she could see within the dragon. To see if there was a familiar trait the two shared. “The Great Prince is the guardian of the forest. I cannot take his place. I cannot watch over every season. Not without Mel’s help or her potion. It just isn’t possible.”

 THE DRAGON:

Oh, there was much to teach this little one. Though she had lived more years than any silly Mundus ever would, she was still a child to the dragon. There was still so much that she did not know-- about her precious earth, about the magic that ran wild in this world, how it connected everything-- about herself.

When she joined the dragon, she would learn. The dragon could show her. Even the witch would find no objection in this, for the dragon knew the witch’s secrets too and how she’d always wanted someone to teach. It was magic that delighted both the witch and the dragon more than anything. It was magic they yearned to share.

So for now, the dragon forgave the sprite all that she did not know. Her eyes glinted as the sprite stepped forward. She could smell her curiosity. Her wonder.

They were connected even now. Could the sprite feel that, how their magic came from the same place?

Before there were changelings, little one, there were dragons, she whispered to her. Before there were Mundus, before there was anything, we roamed the sea, the earth, the sky, wearing so many different colours and hides. We carried magic wherever we went. We spread its seed, forest to forest, river to river. The changelings would answer to us. We were their kings.

Her head snaked closer, her nostrils flaring. She was close enough now for the sprite to touch.

Then came the great purging. The mundus rose up-- rage glinted in the beast’s eyes. They pushed us into caves. They coveted our scales, our fangs, our horns, our eyes, our blood. They stole our eggs, she hissed.

I died protecting mine.

The dragon’s eyes blinked. For a moment, she was silent. Smoke rose though, wafting into the air.

But a creature of pure magic such as we dragons, we-- cannot truly die. I waited. I found the witch. Her heart was open to me. She reached out and I answered and she has held me inside her ever since that day. I am her shadow, Soleil. I am her energy. I am her heart.

Our bond is...mutual. I’ve protected her now, for she attempted to perform a spell of great, powerful magic, one her body could not hold.  But my body-- my body is eternal. My magic, greater. She would have died if I had not emerged. She is still here, little one, do not worry. She is simply...resting. The dragon’s head tilted. Much like the seeds rest and wait for spring to come again.

I am making a nest for her. For us. So when spring comes, she will find a home greater than the one she left. Magdelena, my daughter, waits for us there. Howl, the sorcerer, waits for us there. You can come too-- I will treat you like you were my own child. Say yes, Soleil. The dragon blinked its great, red eyes again, and for a moment, they looked soft as candle-flame. What is a home without flowers?

THE SPRITE

Soleil was mesmerized as the dragon spoke. Her voice was smooth, like the oldest moss. It covered the Sprite and kept her held in place. She didn't even realize the truth in the dragon’s words as they floated through the air. It didn't register that she knew them to be true. That even though she had never heard these stories there was something deep within her that felt the truth.

And if this dragon really was a part of Mel then there was no reason to lie. Soleil had no reason to not trust her.

There was something primal waking up inside of the Sprite. Her magic reaching outwards towards the Dragon. Towards Mel. It swelled inside of her with each beat of her heart and each word whispered by the dragon. They were one, really. Both beings older than nearly everyone in the town. Both suffered great loss. Soleil could even feel the dragon’s pain and anger.

“You saved her,” she found herself whispering as the dragon stepped closer. She was within the Sprite’s touch now and even though she could not feel sadness, Soleil still reached out to place a gentle hand on the dragon’s great snout.

Her hide was warm and thick and the moment Soleil touched her she felt a jolt. Her eyes widened and she pulled her hand away just out of shock. That connection had been immediate and it only gave her more questions, only strengthened her resolve to go with the dragon.

“If I go with you… what will happen to the forest? I cannot leave it without a guardian. After… after my home was burned I swore to never let that happen to another. I love Mel. And Maggie Rose. But I cannot leave the forest unprotected.”

THE DRAGON:

Once again, the dragon wanted to laugh, and so the smoke puffed from her nostrils, hot as steam from a sauna. She wasn’t surprised. Sprites were simple creatures, pure of heart and intention. So pure that they very rarely saw beyond their own forests. They thought small, as small as seeds and sproutlings.

But that did not mean they weren’t powerful or that the love in their heart wasn’t as large and as expansive as the sky itself. The dragon would not covet something that was worthless.

And oh, how she coveted the little one. All it took was the sprite’s hand on the dragon’s snout for the sprite’s magic to flow within her veins. It would be hers.

You aren’t leaving the forest, child, said the dragon, with a slight chuckle in her voice. She blinked her large eyes. I did not say you had to leave the forest. This forest is my home too-- it is my kingdom. She said this with pride.

I have created a den deep within the wood, near where the trolls hide their crystals. There we will build a home, like the one you once had with… what was her name? Zero. That’s right. You will still be close to the forest you love. And you will bring new life into the quarry. Isn’t that a blessing, little sprite? To plant seeds where they have never been before?

Come-- the sun shall rise soon. You should see it for yourself, in the light.

THE SPRITE

How could Soleil say no to such an offer. It was not a bad one. Not by any means. In a way she would be expanding the forest, planting new trees that would grow for ages to come. With this move she would be giving more range to the forest, helping spread it’s influence. How could that be a bad thing? How could being with Mel and the dragon be a bad thing?

And then the dragon said the one thing that would win Soleil over in every single instance. A home like the one she had with Zero. It was a home that had brought her true happiness, contentment. Since Zero’s death she hadn’t felt it. Of course she no longer felt that bone deep sadness but there was still a longing. There was still something missing that she couldn’t just put her finger on. But the mention of having that sense of familiarity and home with people that she cared about it made that little hole seem less jagged.

So even as the dragon’s breath wafted so warmly over her, Soleil moved closer. She was going to do this. She was going with the dragon. There was nothing to stop her from this happiness and contentment. Not when it was what she felt she needed in her soul.

“It is a blessing. I had not thought of it that way.” She took a step back from the dragon as she offered a small smile. She pushed her hair from her face and gave a firm nod. “But… There is one plant I would like to bring with me. It has a very sentimental value to me and I could not bear to part with it. If it is not too much to ask.”

 THE DRAGON

The sprite was always going to say yes.

The dragon knew this for there was no other answer to give. She wanted the sprite and so the sprite already belonged to her. So it was with the sorcerer, so it would be with the whole of Swynlake too. She’d take it in pieces if she had to (she’d burn the whole thing down and grow something better from the ash, if she had to.)

But there was no need for violence here, not with one so gentle. The dragon was of generous spirit-- and the sprite’s request was as humble as ever. For a moment the dragon’s large heart pounded harder beneath her sternum, as she remembered her younger days, lost now… a time of sprites, where the world was green and smelled of life instead of metal and stone. She had met many sprites who traded in flowers and seedlings and fertile soil. These were precious gifts to them-- as precious as gold and magic were to the dragon.

It took very little away from her to grant Soleil’s request.

You may take whatever you wish, said the dragon, dipping her head. I can take you to this little plant, if you wish. And then we can go see our new home. Come-- fly with me.

And the sprite smiled-- beamed like sunlight, as the dawn continued to creep around the trees. And as soon as Soleil climbed up and grasped firm onto the dragon’s horns, the dragon pushed off from the ground.