Chapter 40: Chapter 40: The thing about dragons

Chapter 40: The thing about dragons

We left Anne the pixie tending to the grave of the hunter, who outsmarted her. For the most part, she made do with her lot in life. But then, one day, an infant dragon, as big as a castle, comes to live with her.  

I haven't pranked in… twenty years. My skin is full of wrinkles, my eyes are weary. The only thing I want, is for it all to end. My hands shake. I am a trickster pixie. If I don't prank, then years of my life get taken. Just how long do I have to live?

I hear a roar, and narrow my eyes. It is that dragon again. The magic, which the wizard placed on me long ago, activates, and I fly towards the great beast. On the way, I enchant a wild boar to follow me.

I have no idea why the magic works to feed the dragon, but it is all what it is. When he sees me, the dragon burns the boar, and eats it in one gulp.

"You should really begin to hunt for yourself, Valeric," I tell him, as he chirps his usual nonsense.

No, I can't understand what he is saying. I mean, he is a dragon. But I know his name.

Why? Well, it is written on the big stone perch, that was built for him. I swear, Valeric is like on giant white parrot. Probably somebody's unwanted pet. I sort of feel bad about him, at times.

He lowers his head, so he could look at me. More than once, the little infant had attempted to eat me. I usually just zap him with lightning from the inside of his mouth. One of those days, he will probably manage to swallow me. Would I resist? I don't know.

"Let us see your scales. I swear, if you roll in the mud today, I won't bring you anything tomorrow," I wave my finger at the overgrown lizard, and he chirps. Almost as if he is laughing. I know that he knows, that I know I will be back. For, the magic commands me.

I spent a couple of hours cleaning his scaled body, and then pat him on the snout. He gets a playful look on his face, and I wave my finger at him. I wonder, at times, if he can even see me. What with how much smaller I am than him.

"Behave, you rascal," I tell him, and then fly away from him. Except there is somebody down on the ground, and Valeric is not trying to eat him. A wonderful little boy, maybe ten or so, who looks up at the dragon with a wistful expression on his face.  

"Little boy, dragons are dangerous, go back home," I tell him. He pulls out some boxes from his bottomless bag, and then looks at me.

"You have been taking care of Valeric?" He asks me, and then bounces on his feet. "Thank you. Do you read him bedtime stories?"

"I am a pixie, little boy. I can't read," I say. Not in the human language, that is. I can read the fae script just fine.

"But, how do you take care of him?" The boy asks. He seems to want to quiz me on all things that come with babysitting a dragon.

"Well, my morning starts with a roar from this big baby over here," I begin, and note, that I have his full attention. "Then, I charm some hapless animal to follow me. Valeric burns it to a crisp, still alive, and then eats it."

With this, I turn to leave. Now, I don't care if the dragon won't gulp down the boy. There is something dark around him. Almost like he spent a lot of time around a dark lord. I won't risk my life, for someone who is evil. No matter how small they are.

"How big is the fire stream?" Wait, why is the kid not disturbed? Didn't he hear that the dragon burns animals alive?

"Big. And it looks like a flamethrower," I tell the little devil spawn. The boy puts a small hand on Valeric's foot. Instead of the dragon jetting him in the bright blue sky, Valeric actually lowers his head, and nuzzles into the nape of the boy's neck.

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"Do you know this dragon, little boy?" I ask him, as he begins to pet the dragon's scales. Right where Valeric likes it the most.

"I ran away from home, to see my baby," the boy says, and I begin to suspect I know who he is.

The perch was built by the royal builders of Florifel. The two kings came over here with the dragon. Unwanted pets are usually taken away from children.

"My prince," I say, as I feel a surge of hope. "Can you perhaps do me a favor?"

"Sure, for taking care of Valeric, I will do just about anything you ask, within reason," the prince says, confirming my suspicions.

"I have been cursed long ago. To tent to a grave, and to serve. If you take off the spell from me, I will keep on taking care of young Valeric. Just, let me prank others once more. I will die soon if I do not."

"Sure, here you go," and with this, mana came floating out of the boy, and into me. With tears in my eyes, I went to the boy, and hugged him. Then, just because I can, I flew to his ear, and then gave him a noogie.

"Hey!" The kid protests, as Valeric gives out his chirp laugh.

"Thank you," I hug the ear once more, and then, just as the kid pats me on the back, I give him another noogie. He huffs, and shoos me away, as if I am a fly.

"I have an entire forest to prank," for, if I act fast, I might restore my youth to me. "But you… you should go home."

"I want to stay with Valeric," the boy protests. I pat him on his blonde head.

"I will take care of him. You just go home, and come back when you are eighteen, m'kay?"

"Do you promise?" He looks at me with wide blue eyes, and I nod, and press my entire hand on his nose.

"Cross my heart, and hope to die. Now, spent some time with the dragon if you wish. But, one thing you should know about him. He likes to try to eat people. So, if he lowers his mouth to you, don't go in," with this, and a stern glare at the dragon, I fly away. Ready to restore my youth!

Anne may not want to be a dragon expert, but she learned. The princeling came by, each month. Occasionally, he came with his parents, sometimes without. Yet, he kept on coming back, no matter how many times Anne pranked him.

In a sense, Anne became responsible for little Allyn coming out of his shell, and having fun. And, for the mending of a family.

Somewhere up in the Soul Realm, a hunter would watch her do good, and having far more harmless pranks than before, and he would toast her name for all those who sat on his table.

For Anne, The Repentant!  

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