A Dragon's Dilemma

Would this really solve anything? A near endless war, could I really end it here? His intelligence surprises me, keeping up with my flurry of questions effortlessly. This ancient being, one so powerful and yet, almost childish. Questions of my youth, my upbringing, how I eat, shit, fuck, you name it. I’ve asked this godlike entity the questions of the universe, and he turns to me and asks of how it feels to urinate with an appendage. Feels pretty cool, honestly, but for a being so intimidating it’s almost as if I could see myself being friends with it. He’s told me of his thousand-year life, the enemies he’s made, the lovers he’s had, even of the terror he’s caused. Ultimately though, he tells me of how he regrets it all. A hundred knights, brave as I am he tells, have come to face him. One took an eye, another a horn, he had even seen the same knight twice. It meant nothing to him, he sat here with his tail lightly padding the floor, both eyes and horns perfectly in place. His booming voice had echoed through my mind when he first spoke, hoping to strike fear I suppose, but now it is understanding, albeit still quite loud. He asks of me a question I’m not entirely sure I have the answer to.

“What will killing me do, mortal?”

“I’m not entirely sure, immortal.”

“I find we’ve both grown fond of each other, is this task one you can abandon?”

“It’s been a part of my people’s history to fend you off, it is on my honor that I do not.”

“What good is honor to a dead man?”

“What good is wealth to a dragon?”

He laughs. I find it difficult to find a reason to kill him, in my lifetime he has never done harm to my people or their village. Is it even possible to kill-

“Is it even possible for me to kill you?”

“All living things must one day find their end.”

“Very knowledgeable O Great One, I know that. Is it possible for a human to end you? You seem to be far beyond our capabilities.”

“There is always a way with you mortals, of my kin you humans have killed three.”

So, we’ve done it before, it is possible.

“How was it done?”

“Do not take me for a fool, mortal, I have taken kindly to you, do not test me further.”

A chill courses through my spine, the cool air of his voice now gained heat, returning to the loud boom of earlier.

“Apologies immortal one.”

“Do you still wish to kill me, mortal?”

“I do not want to kill you.”

“I did not ask for what you wanted.”

“What are my alternatives?”

“We can return to our conversation, for one.”

“Aye, I would enjoy that.”

I know he can sense my fear, my hesitation. He knows I keep a crushing grip on my blade, yet nothing wavers him. This is the same blade that allowed Ewain to return from this nest. I wish he had written about this.

“Mortal, do you have mating seasons?”

“We do not, it would solve a number of problems if we did.”

“How so? Dragons cannot mate so the nuance is lost on me.”

“How do you multiply then, are there a finite number of you?”

“That is not the question I asked.”

“Aye, it is not. As for our mating seasons, we don’t have any because we are well fortified to not need one. It is not any less dangerous to birth in winter as it is in summer. We can protect ourselves all times of the year.”

“Interesting, so comfort has made you bold.” He folds his wings around his body and lays comfortably against a lush bed of clover. “There are only a number of us dragons, as far as we can tell there is no way for us to mate. We lack genitalia.”

“Do you ever get the urge, like when you see an attractive dragon?”

“What sort of urge?”

“To fuck? Us mortals get that urge many times in a day.”

“What does this feel like?”

“It has many feelings, sometimes it’s arousal, sometimes it’s boredom, but mostly it’s a raised heartbeat and an urge to explore a person’s body.”

“I may have felt this, yes.”

“Then is it possible for you to procreate?”

It’s only so long I can keep him entertained, his knowledge is extremely far reaching and I’m sure I’m grasping at hay here. Maybe I can convince him to leave here, to explore the world in search of a mate. He is a man after all, or at least I think.

“Would you be considered a male dragon?”

“Which question do you want answered?’

“Male or female.”

“I have no genitalia for which you would appoint ‘male or female’. If I could chose, I would choose what you are.”

“Well congratulations, you’re a male.”

“You have done what no mortal has ever done, take pride in that.”

“Are there other dragons still living that you would take interest in?”

“If you are tempting me to leave my throne, know that it will take more than a possible fuck to lift me.”

I laughed. It was worth a shot. His eye never leaves me, following me as I take a seat against a moss-covered boulder. The temperature is agreeable in here, I always thought for a fire breathing monster it would be much warmer. There are no bones strewn about, nor are there any unsightly remains of knights passed or of prey eaten.

“It’s incredibly clean in here, immortal.”

“Give me a name.”

“What sounds do you like? I will give you a name from your favorite sound.”

“I have heard you mortals play an instrument I have grown to love. It is fast and beautiful.”

Fast and beautiful? I mimic a number of instruments, from plucking a guitar to mouthing a trumpet. I make all sorts of faces and sounds and keep coming up empty. Finally, the dragon attempts to mimic the sound on his own.

A piano.

“Where have you heard a piano? Our village does not have one.”

“I am beyond the time of your village. Now, a name.”

“Ivory, the material of the keys. Your name will be Ivory.”

“I thank you, mortal one. What is your name?”

“Grigory.”

“Ahh, we both sound alike, how quaint.”

“If it is the piano you fancy I know of a place tha-”

Ivory unfurls his wings and places his head inches from my face. Instinctively I pull for my blade but feel the hot hardness of Ivory’s claw keeping the scabbard closed.

“Do not ruin a good thing, Grigory.”

My heart trembled and I lost my breath, the heat coming from Ivory’s mouth felt as if it was pulling the moisture directly from my mouth. I pushed the blade back to its home and gave a weak nod.

“I will not leave my home. It was here before your ancestors settled, and it will be here long after they leave.”

“It is unfair of me to ask you to leave, I apologize.”

“If I told you I wish no harm on your people, would you believe me?”

“You have done no harm to them as long I have lived; I do not see why you would.”

“Who is it that asks of my death? It has been outside of any humans’ lifetimes to know of my history.”

“We collect our history, in books and in stories. You are the center of many of these stories. Historians, or those who study the past, are the most vocal on your death. I fear the others are only afraid because the historians are so vocal about what had happened.”

“If I were to kill them, would that make for an easier return for you?”

“That would make it much more difficult for me to return.”

“Ahh, yes, fear.”

I could see the wheels turning, Ivory was trying to help me. Crazy to think I came here to kill him and yet here he was thinking of ways to save me.

“How could I show my want of peace?”

“I do not know that is possible, Ivory. Just the sight of you was enough to make me question my life, it would be impossible to calm that feeling out of an entire village.”

“What if I came back with you, Grigory?

“They would see you long before they saw me, the army would turn on you. I would most likely die in the crossfire.”

“Is there any way I could meet with these historians, to talk to them about my wants?”

“It would be incredibly difficult to convince them to come out here.”

Ivory pulls a scale from his back, chips a claw, and breaks the tip of his horn. He gathers these items into the center of his cave and places three separate crowns onto each item. Those three crowns are from our village.

“These could do some good in convincing them I suppose. You have my word that I will try to persuade them to see a new future and not a muddy past.”

“If they ask of you to turn on me, as I assume they will, I ask that you give me a sign. I will not harm them, but I will make it impossible for anyone to reach me.”

It had taken months of convincing, arguing, and outright fist fighting for me to gain the trust of only two of the historians. At the very least Pyotr was well trusted, and Craig was friendly with the church. My return to Ivory was difficult this time, having to help two unadjusted bookworms to the side of a mountain was a herculean task in its own right. As we mounted the crest of the first peak, we saw the cave entrance.

“Ivory! I have brought what you asked of me. Are you still seeking our peace?”

“It is good to see you again, friend.”

The voice echoed the mouth of the cave. I led the two men in and settled ourselves near my mossy boulder. The two could not believe their eyes, such a massive and powerful creature they had only read about lay before them. Ivory seemed excited, his tail thumped rhythmically, and his eyes came to a gentle close. He looked like a happy cat.

The historians and Ivory chatted for quite some time, enough time for me to sneak a nap in. Between the dragon and the human began an understanding. We wanted nothing more than peace, and Ivory wanted to understand us. He traded peace for knowledge. He wanted to see the things we had created. But because we are simple scared creatures, we asked much more from him. We asked of a promise.

“Pyotr and Craig have had their fill of questions, but Ivory I ask of you this; how do we know you’ll keep your word? We here trust you, but from where we came they most certainly do not.”

“I have thought this over since your last visit Grigory, and there is only one conclusion I can come up with.” Ivory coiled himself up very much the same way he did the last time I had pushed him too far. His body wrapped around me, much softer this time, as to block any sound from escaping his secret.

“I will tell you how to slay a dragon.”