A little dragon girl sat on her father"s knee one night. It was calm and the breeze was nice and cool on the skin. The girl could only have been around 6 years old and had small red horns that looked like little saplings springing out of the earth. They were slightly branching out but not nearly enough to be noticed. Her face was an oval and full of life and vitality. A small white dress adorned her figure as her four little arms patted her father"s knee. Her hair was black as a raven"s feathers and small pink dragon wings were tucked close to her shoulders. Her little red tail stuck off the edge of his leg and was heavy enough to get her off balance. She fell off with a squeal but was quickly caught by a ma.s.sive hand that was like a platform underneath her. The being who caught her was an enormous dragon man. His eight arms were the picture of balance. Every color of every element adorned him in his brilliant jewel coated scaled form. His head was a dragons with great branches out horns that seemed to merge with the sky above and emitted something like star light. His eyes were a rainbow of colors and shades that could mesmerize any who looked within their gaze. The throne which he sat upon was of every fine metal and jewel that could ever be found. He was the G.o.d of Balance. Ignatious or as others knew him... Quetzalcoatl for his eight wings. Some were coated in feathers. Others were more like dragons, bats, or aquatic creatures fins."My daughter Ophelia. You must be more careful. Falling from me and getting hurt would cause me great pain. Especially since you haven"t learned to fly yet." A voice rumbled from the Ignatious"s chest causing the sky to echo with his voice. She sat up in his hand and stared up at him sheepishly. "Sorry Papa." She said holding her dress in her hands and kneeding it nervously. He set her down gently on the ground at his feet. "Papa. Can you tell me a story?" Ophelia asked with her eyes as big as possible. She was begging for it and knew her father would always cave to his daughters demands for attention and stories.
A large finger reached down ever so slightly and the ground burst with a tree that lifted the girl to eye level with her father. It suddenly spread its branches like a platform underneath her and its leaves and branches wove together till not a gap was found.
"Very well little one. I shall tell you but one today. Which do you wish to hear?" He asked with his eyes locked onto the tiny figure before him. "Mama and Papas wedding!" The little girl demanded. "Are you certain? You"ve heard this one a thousand times." He rumbled. But the little girl nodded adamantly still. "Very well." The world zoomed into his pupil and lights seemed to flow in a blur till a bright sunny day appeared in view. There was a city with 50 levels and was made of metal and stone. A large castle stood at its peak like a beacon to wanderers. Each layer was separated by 30 feet and they seemed to shrink in width as they approached the castle at the top. The surroundings rocky plains were filled with gra.s.s and some wildlife here and there. Mice covered in tiny pebbles sat at points where the rock jutted out. If one didn"t know better you could have said they were armadillos. A hawk circled above with its eyes watching closely for prey and found a single mouse wondering off on it"s own. But before it could even dive for the little mouse it was shot down by a blur that entered its chest. It plummeted to the ground and was retrieved by a gloved hand. The person who was retrieving it was a dwarf wearing a simple leather cap. His beard was long and black. He turned to look at someone behind him. "You are a b.l.o.o.d.y good shot you are. what was that again? 10 willow pheasants and 3 fire hawks if I counted right." He said as another figure walked up to him. It was a womans figure but she was wearing a deep brown cloak with green trousers and a grey top. Her hair was platinum blonde and her sapphire eyes were filled with life. "I may be a good shot but we both know he can outshoot me any day. Besides... do you think this much will actually feed him?" She said pointing at a horse with 10 birds who were seemingly coated in tree bark. Laying down they looked to be about 3 feet long and weighed about 20 pounds a piece. Next to them was 2 fiery red hawks with smoke still trailing from their beaks. They were all tied together in a bundle on the back of the horse. It"s six legs were strong and had some slight scaling around their joints. Its hooves were thick and its body was heavily muscled. It had a good coat of fur on it and wasn"t even breathing heavy from its load.
"I think that"ll do it." The dwarf said with an uncertain look on his face. "But I remember his stomache being smaller when he left to get you." He said as he wondered back to the horse where he mounted it with a pull of a single leather strap. Dwarves are terribly strong after all. She nodded and returned to her own horse which seemed normal enough despite having two large fangs sticking out the top of its mouth. The beasts turned and started to trot their way toward the city in the distance. The trip didn"t take long as they weren"t far from the city. Only an hours ride despite the heavy load on Kyle"s beast. As they approached they looked up at the wall to see a dragon sitting there eyeing the surroundings. If one didn"t know any better they would say that the wall was it"s nest. It"s six arms filled with sinuous muscles and scales that shined against the suns rays. A single look would tell any traveller one thing. Dont cause trouble in the city either that or come prepared.
"Ignis!" Sam shouted as she waved at the dragon on the wall. He looked down at her and leapt from the wall making the stones shake. His form shrank as he descended towards her. Squeezing itself from a little over 60 feet in length down to a mere 10. He landed softly on the ground but not before sending small gusts of wind across the ground making clouds of dust rise like mist obscuring the air.
"Seems like you had a good hunt." I said as I descended looking at the haul they had brought in. I couldn"t help but think of the events that would occur later that day. A wedding. Between a beast and a human. How strange it felt.
The afternoon wore on with many people chatting and cheering in the streets of Verst. Many hailing the soon to be wed couple and wishing good fortunes. But noone saw what rose on the horizon. A grey cloud of snow and storms. A dreadful and powerful aura rose on the horizon but was so far away only the border town to the south felt the rising threat. The storms roiled and waves crashed heavily against the sh.o.r.e as the dark sky closed in. Tension hung in the air like an enemy war cry. Soon a ma.s.sive tentacle llashed out from the sea grabbing onto the dock. The being it hauled out however was far from monstrous. It was a woman with deep brown hair and algae green eyes. Her bone crown that grew from her head was majestic and held high in grace and elegance. Her dress was white like snow and adorned with pearl"s. Queen Marissa which had not set foot on land in decades. Finally made land fall. A small head popped out of the water and shyly looked about. "Scylla my dear. Remember to be proud as you exit the water. Fear not. I"m here." Marissa said extending her hand down to help. Scylla was gently lifted from the water and placed on the pier.
"Remember what I taught you about walking on land?" Marissa asked quietly. Scylla nodded energetically before her mother backed away to give her s.p.a.ce. Scylla closed her eyes and scrunched her brow. Her legs rolled together. Four in one entwined bundle and four in another. Soon they seemed to meld together and form legs. After a minute there was actually toes and two little legs peeking out from underneath her dress. "Well done dear. Now let"s go we have a wedding to attend." Marissa said with a loving smile. Scylla slowly stood up and leaned against her mother for balance. "Now where is the ride Ignis said he would send?" They looked left and right with a slightly confused look. It wasn"t long till a dot appeared in the sky. It was small at first but grew quickly in the span of a few minutes. It was a large dragon. It"s eight wings br.i.m.m.i.n.g with energy that dispersed the 6 elements through the air. Flowers bloomed magnificently as fires seemed to glow more brightly. The sky actually cleared at its approach as a calm yet powerful breeze moved the dark clouds. The ma.s.sive beast landed and looked down at the two of them on the pier. The six arms it had held it"s torso off the ground as it craned its neck down to look at them. Marissa"s face was one of shock and slight fear. The Catastrophe cla.s.s aura this thing held was able to rival Ignis. Yet he considered it a ride! It"s mouth opened and ignis"s voice came out. "I hurried over as soon as I could. Would have been waiting here for you but there were a few things I had to take care of." Marissa"s face fell slightly but held a calmer expression. "I remember you having 6 wings. I didn"t realize you could grow more. You gave me a heart attack!" She said as she swatted the closest arm to her. A rumble shook the ground as a laugh came from me. "Well. Kinda hard to send a letter to a moving city. So I had to pick wisely." I grinned at Scylla who was hiding behind her mother nervously.
"How about you hop on board. You"ll get the best view a dragon can give. From the sky." I smiled happily as Scylla was gently picked up by Marissa who tapped on my arm. "Always the one for dramatics." She huffed as she stepped on my palm for me to lift her. "Have to get attention somehow." I said with a devilish grin. My back arms held Scylla and her mother. One hand acting like a seat while the other acted like a blanket sized seatbelt. I took off slowly for Scylla"s sake. I quickly picked up the pace however. The wind rushed past and I heard Scylla start laughing and having a bit of fun. I barrel rolled for them and flipped in the air. It took a bit longer to get to Verst because of that but it was well worth it. I landed at the castle gates without hindrance and was met by Sam and the King. Scylla and her mother were helped down by dwarven attendants as I shifted to my smaller size. My ten foot frame helped Scylla be much less nervous around me but the attendants suddenly swarmed me and took me to my chambers saying something about getting dressed. When I arrived I found not clothes or jewelry. But metals, swords, and a group of dwarves ready to Smith. I raised an eyebrow. "What pray tell is this?" I said gesturing at what was behind them. It was a tall armor set made of gold, silver, studded with jewels and seemed to be made for a warrior. "It was for you... but I think you"ve grown exceptionally bigger since we last measured you. It might not fit." Said on of the Smith"s. This was the armor I was to wear to the wedding I realised. I grinned a little as I lifted my hands. "May I?" I asked. The elder dwarf that had spoken nodded and cleared away the men. The armor suddenly came alive. It shot apart and over to me in pieces. The Breast plate was small but it folded outward as bars of gold melted and kept onto the piece like a silk thread being woven into the fabric. It stretched to fit my frame. The roaring dragon on the front was the same and hardly any etchings had changed. The sabatons stretched and melted between my claws. My feet became coated in metal that stretched itself across every scale accenting each of them perfectly. The helmet merely sat there as I contemplated it. It was then that I had an idea. It melted and coated my horns beautifully. Diamonds and rubies organized themselves like budding flowers across the points of my branching horns. The gold twisted into a plate that sat between my eyes perfectly. Chainmail was too noisy so I melted it across my arms to add the flair they needed. The dwarves watched with open mouths as their work literally sank into my scales. My wings were left unadorned. But the dwarves insisted on a cape. It was latched to the breastplate around the neck. The latch looked like a set of claws that locked together and fit snugly against my throat. The cloak itself was a black fur covered monstrosity. "What did you use to make this thing?" I asked the dwarves in slight shock and curiosity. The elder smiled. "A Mine Bear." He said with a smirk. My eyes widened a bit at that. "Well done then." I said quickly as the preparations finished. I was led down to the chapel where a large crowd had gathered. I had no family and Sam"s couldn"t come. So it was the entire city of Verst that came to witness the event.
I could say I was prepared for what came down that Aisle. I could say that I was a beast who cared little for such public events. But none of those would have prepared me for the beauty that came through that door. A dress of Scarlet adorned her frame. Silver Dragon scales covered her cloak and shoulders. Fur was the bottom of the gown that slid across the floor with a purr. Her eyes were like starlight in the night sky and her hair was a treasure trove of gold, silver, jewels, and braids that only made her eyes stand out more. My breath came short. And my eyes couldn"t be torn away. Even as she walked down that aisle and since. No beauty has come across my mind more beautiful of glorious than that moment. The bishop got up. His short frame was dwarfed even further by Sam and I so he brought out a comically big stool that was obviously custom made.
He raised his hands to speak something which I imagined would be an enormous effigy of some sort. Then the chapel doors exploded inward.