Page 7 of Dragon Chosen
Your mother deprived you of food?Auren shook her head.Is this what human parents do? Dragons nourish their young, not starve them. And these males? How can they excuse their actions?Males who wish to mate with a female must prove themselves worthy, not take your father’s riches and cast you aside. Why would your father allow this?
He…
My response was automatic, the excuses right there on the tip of my tongue, when I stopped. I blinked and considered what she was saying. With a sigh I sank down into the water, until it was up to my chin. The warmth helped release something inside me. All the anger and frustration I’d kept stuffed down came rushing up. The pain… I turned to the dragon and tried to answer her again.
Human women are seen to be more desirable when they are small and dainty, I said.Mother was trying to turn me into something men would want.
Small? Weak?Auren’s head jerked back.Are human males so fragile they are threatened by your size?She rose up out of the water and then looked back at her flanks.Iam one of the largest queens in my clutch. My father says I am just like my mother…She paused then, making me think she too had her vulnerabilities, but before I could ask a question, she forged on.Males see me as a mighty queen and know by mating me, we will have strong progeny.
I had to laugh at her obvious pride, and that helped lighten something inside me.
If only I was a dragon, I said, standing up and gesturing to my sodden form.
We will find you other males, she said decisively.Worthy ones who see your strength and see it as a complement of their own. Your parents obviously cannot be trusted in this.
That’s not how it works, I replied, trying to explain my reality in a way she would understand.Queen dragons are expected to find strong males to mate with and produce more dragons, yes?Auren didn’t answer, sinking down into the water.Well, I am a lady. I’m expected to marry a man of the same class, to bind myself to someone who will help my family’s fortunes.
But that’s not what you want.
Auren’s tone was considerably less confident now.
No, but you must know something about honour and obligation.I peered closer at the dragon.Did your father not teach you the same thing?
Auren pulled herself from the water so abruptly I struggled to keep my feet, small waves knocking against my legs.
If your mother has been starving you, then you must be hungry.As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. The dragon sniffed, then nodded to the valley below the pools.I will go and find us some deer to eat, perhaps a sheep.
Before I could say a thing, she took flight, throwing herself off the cliff edge and then coasting down to the trees below.
No, marrying a man like any of my suitors was not what I wanted, that’s what I really wanted to say, but something had stopped me. Family, societal expectations, everything had prevented me from even forming that thought. But now I was alone? With no one to question or judge me, it became clear that I would rather do anything other than what my family wanted.
So what would I do instead?
I had no long term solutions, but right now I’d get myself clean and then work on my dress. It was no doubt stained, which would earn me yet another scolding when I returned home.
If I returned home.
That rogue thought had me pulling off my dress and disappearing under the water.
My dress wasn’tthe only casualty to my stupidity. When I went to clean it, I felt the heavy weights in the pockets.
“My books…!” I cried, pulling them out with shaking hands, then setting them down on the warm stones. They were utterly sodden, the pages all stuck together. Right as I struggled to work out how to save them, Auren returned, landing heavily on the stone ledge as she dropped a glassy eyed stag before me.
You are sad again, she said, then cast an eye around the pool complex.Did stupid human males interrupt your bathing?
No. I shook my head and forced myself to smile.Everything is fine, Auren.
Humans lie all the time.Her massive head angled downwards to peer more closely at me.Why do you do that?
I barely considered her questions, confronted now by her massive head and equally huge fangs.
Ahh… Perhaps it’s because we like to avoid conflict.
That definitely felt true right now.
Because you are tiny and have no protective scales or fangs.Auren pulled back with a sniff.Nor wings or the ability to breathe fire or acid. I understand.Do not worry, Fern. I have all of those abilities. I will keep you safe in any fight you might get into.
Thank you?
