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joshuaorrizonte · 1 year ago

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Dragonsinger Chapter Three: Forsaken

In which Kain discovers that the bigotry in Reythak runs deeper than even he imagined.

@eventide-imp

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Gavin wandered the grounds of the shrine, feeling unreal. He couldn't believe Kain had the guts to kiss him like that. Even worse, he couldn't believe he had the guts to kiss Kain. It was amazing; they despised each other, but the attraction was undeniable. Kain was simply the most handsome man Gavin had ever laid eyes on, and he's traveled far and wide in the world, even spending time overseas. Gavin had lovers in the past, and indeed, had lovers he hadn't cared for on a personal level, the attraction purely physical.

So what was stopping him this time? Why couldn't he simply act on the attraction that was obviously reciprocated?

Gavin stooped to smell a rose, careful of its thorns. It had a distinct smell from the ones in Darkfell, more intense, less sweet. He caressed its petals, savoring their softness on his fingertips. This place was beautiful, there was no denying it. It was just unnatural for him to be there. After all, he was as far from the light as a person could get.

Almost.

He sighed and replaced his helmet, turning to head back to the front entrance of the shrine. A startled yelp escaped his lips as he came face-to-face with someone covered in black garments, from head to toe; Gavin could see nothing of the intruder's face. But he could see the blade in the mysterious person's hand, a stiletto dagger held loosely at their side.

Their grip on the hilt tightened. Their body shifted. Gavin reacted immediately, dodging to the side, grabbing the stranger's wrist as he lunged at him. He twisted behind his attacker, yanking the assassin's hand up. Somehow, the assassin kept a hold on the stiletto and broke free, dropping to the ground and rolling away. They were on their feet once in the next second, lunging for him, stiletto raised. Gavin stumbled backwards. His back hit a tree, and he used it to brace himself as he caught the assassin’s wrist again, holding the knife away from him. “Kain!” He screamed at the top of his voice.

The answer was immediate. “Hey!” Kain’s voice barked. He heard footsteps rushing toward them even as he struggled to hold the assassin’s knife away from his throat. The human man’s body slammed into his assailant from the side, knocking him away. “Are you okay?!” Kain demanded, almost frantic.

“I’m fine!” Gavin gasped. “Stop them!”

Kain, realizing that the assassin was running, cursed and bolted after them. The assailant was fast, but Kain was faster; he crashed into the assassin from the back, knocking them both to the ground. They struggled as Gavin darted up to them, grabbing the assassin’s wrist again as he fought to plunge the stiletto into a gap in his armor. Surprised, the assassin let go of the dagger, and Gavin grabbed it and threw it away from them.

“Get their mask off,” Kain growled, grabbing the assailant’s other wrist as he straddled their waist, pinning them down. Gavin didn’t hesitate, grabbing the fabric covering the assassin’s face and yanking it off. He reeled back in surprise, his mouth falling open in shock and dismay. “A night elf?!”

“You’re a dead man, Skyglow,” the assassin snarled.

“Who sent you?!” Kain demanded. The assassin simply glared up at him, and Kain released one wrist to grab the night elf’s throat. “Answer me or I crush your windpipe,” he thundered, squeezing to emphasize the threat.

The assassin choked out a laugh. “You… won’t have a chance,” the elf wheezed through Kain’s fingers. “I’m… just as… dead as… he is…”

“Then you’ve no reason to hide your employer from us.” When the night elf just smiled at him, Kain’s grip tightened. “Answer me.”

The elf choked out, “I knew… I… would die… if I failed. Kill me. It… makes no difference…”

“You son of a-“

“Let him go, Kain,” Gavin said, his voice stony. “If he was sent by Darkfell, he’s telling the truth. He’ll be dead anyway momentarily.”

Kain released his hold on the night elf’s throat, and the man inhaled, but didn’t seem to get enough air. “Skyglow,” he rasped. “If you… want to live… you will stay… away… from… Darkfell…”

“That’s not an option.”

“Then die.”

The words were spoken on an exhale. He did not inhale again.

Shaking, Kain stood and turned to Gavin. “Are you alright?” He asked softly. Gavin nodded, his stricken gaze on his dead kinsman. Kain looked from him to the assassin and back. “Why would someone from Darkfell want you dead, Gavin?”

“I don’t know.”

“Not a single idea?”

“Not one.”

“You’re lying.”

Gavin met his gaze, calm despite the circumstances. “If I am,” he said evenly, “then gods willing, you will never know.” With that, he turned away; despite his outward calmness, Kain could see him shaking. “If you and Stormsong are ready, I think it would be best if we got moving. It’s half a day’s walk to Reythak and we’re going to need to move on immediately after we arrive, because even with you with me, I don’t think the townspeople will tolerate my presence for long.”

Without waiting for an answer, Gavin walked away, ruminating darkly. He knew exactly who from Darkfell would want him dead.

He wasn’t going down without a fight. Not to him.

~*~

They walked in relative silence, taking turns carrying Stormsong when she was too tired to walk on her own. Both of them were trained soldiers; Stormsong, while she was a dragon, was still a child in human form, and neither Kain nor Gavin were willing to make her walk all the way to Reythak. Gavin would’ve carried her himself, albeit with some difficulty. She was precious, and no child deserved to be made to walk for six hours straight without a break. It was brutal on Gavin and Kain; Stormsong would be near senseless by the time they reached the town if they made her do that.

If Kain had anything going for him other than his good looks, it was the fact that he was compassionate, as far as humans went. It made him even more attractive to the dark knight, and that was dangerous. Kain had already made it known that he wanted him, and Gavin wasn’t so ignorant to the world to know that his desire was purely physical. Gavin wouldn’t use someone else in that way, let alone let himself be used.

What made the situation dangerous, so dangerous, was that despite Gavin’s principles, he wanted the human dragon rider the same way Kain wanted him. That there was a mutual attraction couldn’t be denied, and although his mind was screaming for him to do so, he couldn’t deny it. He decided that he wasn’t going to try to dictate or control it; it was what it was, and it was allowed to be there. That didn’t mean he had to act on it, and he was sticking to that.

Kain and Gavin talked a bit when Stormsong fell asleep in Kain’s arms. Kain was an only child, and then an orphan; he’d actually never had a lover in the past, although he came close with a woman named Alanna. She was twice his age and had a daughter his age, and when Gavin asked whether or not it would’ve been more appropriate to pursue Alanna’s daughter, he shrugged, shifting Stormsong in his arms. “Probably, yes,” he admitted, “but I wasn’t infatuated with her daughter.”

“I see.” Gavin glanced at him as they walked. “You seem to regret it now.”

“I do,” Kain answered immediately. “It was stupid and would’ve ruined both our lives. I’m glad she had the sense to stop it before it went too far.”

“Was she tempted?”

“Tempted, and nearly gave in. But as I said—she came to her senses in time. It took me another three months to get over her.” He sighed, glancing at Gavin. “I have no idea why I’m telling you all of this.”

Gavin gave him a sardonic smile. “Because I’m here, it’s something to talk about, and I asked.”

“All true.” He paused, considering his next words very carefully. “I’ve actually never told anyone about this. You’re the only soul alive who knows other than the woman herself. Don’t abuse that knowledge, please.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Gavin’s voice was grave as he answered. And he meant it, wholeheartedly. Kain had shown him an incredible amount of trust in telling him of this; as little as he thought of the man, he would never use something said in confidence against a person. And, if he was completely honest, hearing this explained more of Kain’s behavior than he knew. His willingness to engage in a relationship with someone he just met and irrationally hated… It had shifted from baffling to sad.

And solidified Gavin’s determination not to engage him that way. He would be taking advantage of a view of relationships that had been skewed by an inappropriate dalliance, and that also wasn’t something Gavin would ever do.

But he wondered if Kain himself understood just how distorted his worldview was. Bigotry, and now trauma he didn’t seem to acknowledge as being such… Gavin almost pitied him. He’d never pitied anyone before, and he was positive that Kain would reject such a sentiment if he made it known. Sighing, Gavin reached out to take the slumbering child. “Here. Looks like she’s getting a bit heavy for you.”

“Thank you,” Kain said softly, as they stopped to shift her into Gavin’s arms. They waited a moment to make sure they hadn’t woken her before they started walking again. “What about you?” Kain asked. “Anyone significant in your history?”

Gavin thought about how much he wanted to reveal. But trust deserved trust, and Gavin nodded. “There is one… one significant lover in my past.”

“None current?”

The night elf gave him a bewildered look. “Would I have kissed you if there was?”

“Point taken.” Kain lapsed into silence, and finally said softly, “You can talk about them, if you like.”

“Him.” Kain looked at Gavin, and Gavin grimaced, not believing he was actually going to talk about this with a human. “He was the man who trained me,” Gavin said quietly. “I was ridiculously in love with him from the start.”

Kain’s expression softened, hearing the pain in Gavin’s voice. “Can I ask what happened?”

“He was exploiting me.” Gavin’s soft voice was flat and unforgiving. “He only engaged me because I was an easy target. The moment I asked him for a commitment, proof that he wasn’t taking advantage of me, he ended it. Said I’d just become more trouble than I was worth.”

“Ouch.” Kain winced. “Were there ever any consequences?”

“Yes. For me.”

Kain’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly.”

“What… consequences could have possibly-“

“I was sent on this errand.”

Understanding dawned in Kain’s eyes. “This is recent, isn’t it? You finished your training just in time for your dragon to disappear on you, and then your lover pulled that bullshit. I’m sorry-“

“Don’t,” Gavin cut him off. “There’s little point to crying over it now. I know better and I won’t be making the same mistake I did with Delos.”

His tone was meaningful, and Kain caught it immediately, protesting, “I would never-“

“Wouldn’t you?” Gavin’s soft voice was bitter, bitter and knowing. “We barely know each other, Kain. You cannot decide you want someone on a handful of hours and a shaken worldview. It doesn’t work that way.”

“I didn’t decide I wanted you on a handful of hours and a shaken worldview,” Kain replied dryly, “I decided I wanted you because you’re hot.”

Gavin’s face flushed beneath his helmet, intensely grateful that it hid most of his face. “Thank you,” he clipped, “but no thank you. That’s flattering, but I’m still a bit too heartbroken to fall for it.”

Kain sighed heavily; he glanced at Stormsong as she began to stir. “I didn’t mean any of it like that,” he said sullenly. “I only meant—whatever’s going on between us is obviously mutual. Do you have to think about it? Can’t it just be?”

“No,” Gavin ground out, “it cannot just be. It's a foolish idea, and I'm not going to run headlong into another heartbreak."

"It doesn't have to be like that."

"And what do you imagine happening between us?"

His question left Kain at a loss. "I imagine..."

Gavin smirked as his voice trailed off, assuming that Kain realized what he was proposing. And Kain didn't speak again; Stormsong had awoken, and that wasn't an appropriate conversation for her ears. They were nearing Reythak anyway. It was time for Kain to get in the mindset he needed to tell the townspeople of his quest.

Gavin had the sick feeling they weren't going to take kindly to it.

As they approached the town, Gavin's heart sunk further as two peacekeepers came out to meet them. "Why is the dark knight still with you?" one asked, his voice dripping with contempt and hostility.

"Because he was telling the truth," Kain replied bluntly. "The dragons are gone. There's a dragon singer in Drakfell; we're going to travel there to see if she can summon at least one back to tell us what happened."

"Find another one," the man said coldly. "You're not going to Darkfell."

"Excuse me?" Kain bristled. "You don't get to tell me-"

"The people of Reythak do not associate with night elves. Nor do we associate with dark knights-"

"Kain, just go with them," Gavin said in a low voice. "I'll manage on my-"

"No," Kain interrupted hotly. "Did you idiots hear me? The dragons are gone! We don't have the luxury of searching for a dragon singer. We know one is in Darkfell, so I'm going to Darkfell!"

"Then you go without our blessing," the other peacekeeper spat. "We actually respected you, Dragonsong. I respected you! I thought you were a good person!"

"And I thought you all were telling me the truth when you said night elves were evil," Kain snapped, "so I guess we're even!"

"Kain!" the first one exclaimed. When Kain didn't back down, glaring vehemently at them, he pressed his lips together in disappointment. "What have you done to him, elf?" he sneered.

"Nothing but treat him like a person worthy of respect," Gavin replied softly, his voice neutral. "If that's all it takes to alter his worldview, consider that you may be wrong."

That was the wrong thing to say. The peacekeepers tensed, their hands going to their swords. Kain narrowed his eyes at them as he said, "Don't touch your sword, Gavin. Petre, you know me. You know I don't countenance evil. And the moment he does something evil, I will deal with him. But he's done nothing but alert us to the dragons disappearing, and Stormsong told me that our prejudice is unfounded. I-"

Petre narrowed his eyes. “Ignoring the fact that dragons cannot speak,” he growled, “how the hell did your dragon tell you anything if they’re all disappeared?”

Gavin could see Kain’s heart freeze in his heart. He nodded to the girl in his arms, just barely waking up from the argument raging around her. “This is Stormsong,” he said, although Gavin could hear in his voice that he knew they wouldn’t believe him. “She managed to save herself from the vanishing by doing this to herself.”

The other peacekeeper sneered, “Yeah, that’s likely-“

“Michel, hush.” Petre peered at Stormsong, who returned his gaze curiously. Finally he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kain. I don’t believe you.”

“But-“

“You—and only you—may go into town and get supplies for this trip to Darkfell that you need to make so desperately. And you’re welcome home once you’ve come back to your senses. But until you realize how absurd this all is, that none of it’s credible and these two grifters are taking you for a ride, you need to stay away from us.”

“Petre-“

“We can’t have a dark knight’s influence here,” Petre said coldly. “We will watch the dark knight and the child. Get what you need to get and get out.”

Kain inhaled sharply, closing his eyes. “Fine,” he bit out. “Gavin, I’m sorry, but-“

“I’ll watch her,” Gavin said softly, holding out his arms for the girl.

“I’m awake,” Stormsong said groggily, and Kain set her on her feet.

He kept a steadying hand on her shoulder until she was used to standing again, and looked at Gavin. “Reythak’s boundaries are clearly defined,” he said, his tone daring Petre to contradict him. “Go around and meet me on the other side.”

“I’ll go with them,” Michel said, a bit too eagerly for Kain’s tastes.

And a bit too eagerly for Petre’s tastes, as well. “No,” he said quickly, “I will.”

“I’m telling you, I can take care of this right-“

“You will do no such thing,” Petre said sharply. “Kain is right about one thing: the dark knight has done nothing to us. I won’t have you provoking him when he’s willing to leave peacefully. And if that girl really is Stormsong, we don’t want to provoke her, either.”

“And they’re under my protection,” Kain said coldly. “Any harm you deal to them, I will return tenfold. Don’t try me, Michel. I’m not in the mood.”

“You cannot fight the entire peacekeeper body,” Michel sneered.

“He won’t have to,” Petre barked. “Obey me, Michel. Obey me or we’ll have to reconsider your commission.” Michel snarled wordlessly, but backed off, stalking back to his post. Gavin shook his head, and Petre cut him off before he could speak, “Don’t thank me, elf. If things were otherwise I’d have your head on my pike for daring to show your face here again.”

“Don’t argue with him,” Kain said quickly. “Just… go. I’ll meet you on the western path.” Gavin nodded, took Stormsong’s hand, and headed around the town’s perimeter, Petre following him with one final glower at Kain. The thought that Kain would change his mind once inside the town crossed his mind; he dismissed it. The human was good for his word, something rare in his race, and Gavin believed in him.

And that knowledge filled him with dread. He believed in Kain. Believing in humans got night elves killed sooner or later. He would just have to hope it was later, that Kain waited until they’d brought back the dragons before putting his sword through Gavin’s back.

#my writing #original writing #dragonsinger

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joshuaorrizonte · 1 year ago

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Here is, as promised, Dragonsinger, Chapter One: The Vanished.

@eventide-imp you said you're interested so have a tag! If anyone else wants to be tagged, just let me know!

Kain Dragonsong was a dragon rider.

It was a respected, almost revered occupation. The dragon riders were few and far in between, although hundreds of young men and women came to the shrines to become one when they were on the cusp of adulthood. Most were turned away at the gate, not having the magical talent needed to communicate with the dragons. The most of the rest were turned away when no dragon would choose them.

Kain was lucky; he just barely had the magical talent, and his dragon, Stormsong, had chosen him the moment their eyes met. She was small, a runt, really, who wasn’t expected to live past infancy. The dragon masters hadn’t liked that they had to let Kain into the shrine, and liked it even less that he’d been chosen so quickly. But the fact that his dragon was sickly and on death’s door was a comfort to them; he wouldn’t remain there long, and he could return to the town and join the town peacekeepers, as someone of his station and talents belonged.

But he had used every bit of his magical talent as he could to save Stormsong. He rarely slept in the days following that initiation; he nursed Stormsong, kept her warm, kept her alive, fighting bitterly against death itself for her life. And she lived, growing into a sleek, agile, ethereally beautiful creature. She was never really healthy, always the smallest dragon present, but he wouldn’t trade her for the world. She was his life, his partner.

His ordeal, laced with the dragon masters telling him in frustration to just give up and let the poor thing pass in peace, taught him a valuable lesson: to never give up on anyone.

It was that lesson that came to mind as he watched the dark knight stride through the town, noting with a kind of calm alarm that he was beginning to attract a crowd. His nerves set on edge as a woman hissed at him, “Your kind isn’t welcome here.”

The dark knight’s voice was soft and unreadable as he replied. “I know I’m not welcome. I’m sorry. I just need to replenish my supplies and I’ll be-“

“Your money’s no good here.” The dry goods shopkeeper had come out from his shop, and was now glowering coldly from his shop’s doorway. “Go away, you hear me? You’re not welcome here. Go on, git!”

The dark knight lowered his head and kept walking, but it wasn’t enough for the bystanders that had come out to see what the commotion was. Someone threw a rock at him, and Kain’s patience abruptly ran out. “Hey!” He bellowed, darting out from his position in the shadows. “That is unacceptable!”

The man who’d thrown the rock turned to him, surprised. “Kain!” Then his face flushed. “He’s a dark knight! You know what kind of evil they-“

“I know what kind of evil they’re capable of, yes, but this man has done nothing to us,” he hissed. “All he wants is to buy supplies with perfectly good currency and be on his way.”

“I’m not selling a damned thing to scum like this,” the shopkeeper spat.

Kain’s expression went cold. “Then I will,” he snarled. “What do you need, stranger?”

The dark knight had stopped when the rock struck him, and Kain could see his eyes widen beneath his helmet. “I… I am nearly to my destination,” he said softly. “I just need enough to get me there. Whatever happens afterwards… well. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”

Kain’s eyes narrowed. “What is your destination?”

“The Dragon Shrine of Light.”

At that, he inhaled sharply. “What could a dark knight possibly want at the Shrine of Light-“

“I am a dragon rider,” the man cut him off bluntly, “without a dragon. In fact, all night elves are without their dragons. They’ve disappeared.”

~*~

Kain bought supplies for both of them. He scoffed as the dark knight dragon rider, a night elf named Gavin, told him that he was seeking the other shrines, looking for any that still had dragons within them. The Dragon Shrine of Light was the most remote shrine; and his last chance to find evidence of the dragons.

Of course the dragons were still there. His Stormsong would have told him if she was leaving.

Something in the back of Kain’s mind, though, told him to believe the night elf. The man’s soft voice had a sincerity to it that, in Kain’s short experience, was rare. Gavin was telling the truth. He didn’t know how he knew that; he just did. He scoffed again at his own naiveté. Night elves were evil creatures, and that went double for night elves who were dark knights. Cruel and ruthless, dark knights trained in how to use their own pain to hurt others. A well-placed injury on a dark knight’s body could devastate their opponents. Very few would accept combat from a dark knight head-on; and even fewer survived if they did not kill the knight in a single blow.

Kain himself had never fought a dark knight, and hoped he never would have to. He didn’t want this stranger to turn that power on his fellow townspeople, otherwise he’d have walked away from the confrontation. But keeping the town safe was his one goal in life now, and if that meant cavorting with night elf dark knight, then so be it.

Several of the townspeople tried to convince Kain not to go, to let the dark knight do what he wanted. Night elves were natural liars; it was more likely that he’d mistreated his dragon until he left, and now Gavin wanted to steal a dragon from them. Kain shook his head in disgust at the accusation. He had no doubt there was more to Gavin’s claims than he was telling them, but they simply had no evidence of what they were claiming. Even night elves deserved the benefit of the doubt.

No, Kain would accompany this dark knight to the Shrine of Light, and then, with the help of the dragon masters, interrogate him, demand to know what his true purpose in coming to Reythak was. He would give Gavin the rope he so desperately wanted, and help him hang himself with it.

But not a moment prematurely. Until Kain knew for certain that Gavin was lying, he would continue on as though he trusted him, as though he could take the night elf at his word.

They struck out that same afternoon, walking together. Gavin explained the whole tale for Kain once they were on their way. Gavin had been the one to discover the Shrine of Stars empty; he'd gone to check on his dragon, Starfall, and discovered not only Starfall missing, but every other dragon. He'd been to every shrine between Darkfall forest and Reythak, and discovered the same at every one: the dragons were gone. "Like I told you in town," Gavin said softly, "if we find them gone at the Shrine of Light, I will know at least that the dragons are gone, somehow."

"You know I don't believe you, right?"

"Acutely aware. Yet I'm grateful for your presence. Very few people took me seriously enough to want to see for themselves that I'm not lying or mad."

There was something painfully sincere in Gavin’s soft voice, something that Kain wanted to deny and ignore. He found he couldn't, and it frustrated him. Why was he so compelled to trust someone who was inherently untrustworthy? There was simply nothing more to it: night elves, and dark knights, were sadistic, compulsive liars. And Gavin had done nothing to prove himself an exception. So why did Kain feel compelled to trust him?

After that, they traveled in silence. Kain ruminated on what was happening, how it defied logic. They made good time, reaching the shrine by nightfall. Gavin was beginning to flag by then, but pushed on without outward complaint. The longer he was with Gavin, the greater his grudging respect for him grew. Gavin had been traveling all day, and a lesser man might've asked to stop to rest. Kain would've granted such a request; he wasn't so hurried to be away from the man that he'd have pushed him when he couldn't go on. Night elves didn't have the best constitution, and he had to be utterly exhausted by nightfall.

He realized then, as they came within sight of the shrine, that Gavin's urgency just gave credence to his claims. They were nearly there; "Do you think we can move a bit faster?" he asked Gavin, genuine concern in his voice. "We're almost there."

"Yes," Gavin replied, ever soft-spoken. "We should hurry. The sooner we know, the faster we'll be able to figure out what to do next."

A feeling of deep foreboding filled Kain. The thought that Gavin was telling the truth filled him with such dread as he'd never felt before.

As they approached the shrine, one of the pages came out to meet them, riding a pony and leading two horses. "Dragonrider Kain," the boy greeted. His gaze lingered on Gavin for a moment, curious, before turning back to Kain. "We were hoping it was you who was coming. Come, hurry. There's something you need to see."

"Wait." Gavin's soft voice got Kain's attention as he began to mount one of the horses. They both looked to him, staring at the page. "You have to tell me," Gavin said, his tone low and desperate, and Kain knew with sick certainty, suddenly, that he had been telling the truth. "Are the dragons still at the shrine?"

The page gulped and looked to Kain for guidance. Kain nodded gravely, and the page answered, "No, sir." Kain closed his eyes, exhaling deeply, trying to control the panic. Then his eyes snapped open again, hope blossoming in him as the page said, softly, "Except one."

~*~

"So."

"Shut up."

"This is what you call a dragon here."

"Shut. Up. She was a dragon last time I saw her."

The small child before them said meekly, "I still am a dragon, big brother."

Kain stared at her, wide-eyed. "S-Stormsong? You... You can talk?"

Stormsong, with her wide silver eyes and iridescently pink hair, nodded, staring back up at him, eyes just as wide. "I've always been able to talk. We just didn't speak the same language. Or rather, we couldn't speak each others' languages." Fascinated, Kain knelt before the child, reaching out to touch her shoulder. She darted into his arms, wrapping hers around his trunk, hugging him tightly. "I thought you'd never come for me, Kain," she whispered, her small voice distressed. "I was so scared..."

"I'm here now," he said, trying to sound reassuring as he returned her embrace gingerly, as if afraid that he'd break her if he hugged her too tightly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I would like to, but I don't know," she whimpered. Now that she was in his arms, she seemed to crumble, the strong facade falling apart. "I think I was asleep when it happened. I felt like someone was... was calling me. All the other dragons in the shrine started leaving, and I felt like I was being pulled along with them." She looked up at him, eyes wide and watery. "The only way I could stop it was to make myself human, and-"

"Wait," Kain said, his voice gentle but firm. Stormsong immediately stopped talking, and Kain asked, "How long have you been able to do this? Turn into a human, I mean.”

Stormsong regarded him shyly. “All dragons can do it. We just chose not to.”

“Why?”

“Because… because.” He could tell from her reaction that she didn’t actually know why. “We just don’t, unless we have a very good reason.”

“Like being compelled to do something you don’t want to,” Gavin said, sounding mystified. “But… what does that mean for-“

Abruptly, he cut himself off. As Stormsong was murmuring, asking who that man was, Kain said, “Yes? What does that mean for who?”

Gavin stared at him, then shook his head slowly. “It’s not important. At all. What’s important is that if this girl is truly a dragon, then there’s one left. She can help us find the others.”

“Kain, who is he?” Stormsong insisted, trying to hide behind her rider.

Kain hesitated. How was he to answer her without scaring her? “He’s the man who told me what had happened to your kin,” Kain said finally. “Is he right? Can you help us find the rest of the dragons?”

Stormsong buried her face in his shoulder again. “I’m scared…”

“It’s alright,” Kain said, as soothingly as he could. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

“Kain!” Gavin hissed.

Kain glared at him as Stormsong whimpered and pressed closer to him. “Have some propriety,” he growled. “She’s just a child!”

“But we don’t have the luxury of letting her not help us!”

“We don’t have the luxury of forcing her, either! You people really are as heartless as-“

Gavin gasped. “And to think that I thought you were different for a while,” he snapped back, turned, and stormed from Stormsong’s stall.

“Same to you!” Kain hissed at his back. As Stormsong whimpered, Kain pulled her closer. “It’s alright. He won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. I won’t let him.”

“What… what did you both mean when you said you thought each other was different?”

Kain sighed softly. How was he to explain this to a little girl? When she was a dragon, he wouldn’t have thought twice about discussing this with her. But her age now just drove home the fact that Stormsong was still a child. “I don’t know what he meant,” he said finally, “but night elves are generally bad people-“

She pulled away from him abruptly. “What are you talking about?” She asked, wide-eyed. Surprised, Kain stuttered for a second, and the child shook her head. “Night elves are not bad people, anymore than humans or dragons or sun elves are!” Stormsong exclaimed.

“Stormsong-“ Kain cut himself off, at a genuine loss. “Even if that’s true, and I’m not sure it is-“

“It is true,” Stormsong insisted. “Just because you don’t understand them-“

“-then the fact that he’s a dark knight makes him a bad person.”

She frowned sharply. “Wrong again,” she said softly. “Maybe you’re not as wise a person as I thought you were, big brother.”

He swallowed hard, feeling horrible for having disappointed her; and even worse because he didn’t believe her. "All I know is what I've been told, really," he admitted.

"Maybe you shouldn't believe things without proof," she replied, her voice soft and neutral.

Chastened, Kain looked away briefly before taking a steadying breath. "I'll talk to him, if he didn't leave," he said quietly.

"He's still here. Go talk to him. I'll... I'll get ready to go." At his questioning look, she gave him a little smile. "I'll go with you to find the dragons. I don't want to be apart from you."

Kain returned her smile, reassuringly. "Are you sure? Don't take Gavin’s opinion into account. Don't even take mine into account. What do you want to do?"

She answered immediately, confidently. "I want to be with you. If you're going to go looking for the dragons, then I am, too."

Kain hugged her, enthusiastic for the first time. "Thank you, Stormsong. I can't tell you what this means to me."

"It means the world to me, too." She sounded relieved, and not a small amount of excitement was in her voice. "I've always wanted to see the world with you. Now I'll get to do that, and find my family, too."

Kain smiled brilliantly at her. "Yes, it is exciting, isn't it?"

"She nodded enthusiastically, but her smile wavered a bit. "You better go talk to your companion. You'll need to be able to work together."

"Yes, we will," Kain said, feeling inexplicably ashamed of himself. "Yes, we will," he said with a grimace. "I'll be right back, hopefully with him in tow."

Stormsong gave him an encouraging smile, which he returned wanly as he stood and headed out of the shrine. Gavin stood there, his helmet in his hands, face turned to the sky with a dream-like expression. Kain’s breath nearly caught in his throat at how breathtakingly beautiful the night elf was. Fair skin tinted bluish and hair that shimmered silver in the moonlight, with ears slightly pointed, Gavin was, undoubtedly, the most gorgeous person Kain had ever laid eyes on.

The night elf didn’t look at him as he approached. He didn’t say anything, either. It was as if Kain simply didn’t exist to him at that moment, and Kain expected irritation. Instead, he inexplicably felt sadness. He needed to say something. “Gavin, I owe you an apology.” Gavin didn’t deign to answer him, keeping his gaze on the sky, although now that gaze was stony. Kain swallowed hard; the night elf was going to make this difficult.

So be it.

“I was out of line,” Kain said softly. “I… I’ve never known a night elf. Or a dark knight. I only know what I was told growing up. And… it wasn’t flattering, to either population.”

“I could guess as much,” Gavin said in that soft voice of his, “based on the reception I got at Reythak.”

“Yes… well… Stormsong has disabused me of those notions,” Kain said, looking away, turning his face to the sky, trying to figure out what Gavin was staring so intently at. He couldn’t tell. “I can’t say that it was enough to make me trust you already,” he said quietly, “but I doubt you trust me all that much more.”

“You’re right, I don’t.” Gavin finally looked at him. “But you’re the only dragon rider who’s given me the time of day, who’s believed what I had to say.”

“I didn’t.”

“What?”

Kain didn’t look at him. “I didn’t believe you. I’m… sorry for that, too. You had exactly no incentive to lie, and I couldn’t see that past my prejudices.”

Gavin gave him a wan, insincere smile. “You only knew what you were told,” he replied, his voice acerbic. He didn’t raise it, and Kain wondered idly what it would take to make the man do so. But instead of provoking him, he just stared at him. As he was about to admit that he deserved that bit of mocking, Gavin sighed. "And I'm sorry for that," he muttered. "Your bad behavior doesn't excuse mine."

"No, I'm pretty sure you were justified there." He sighed, and looked at Gavin again to discover the night elf looking back at him, and he could see Gavin's eyes for the first time. Something in Kain shifted as their eyes met. Gavin's eyes were such a deep blue they seemed almost violet. "Let's start over," Kain managed to say, his voice only slightly strangled by the inexplicable attraction he was suffering. "I'm Kain Dragonsong. I'm a dragon rider from Reythak."

Kain extended a hand to him. Gavin's gaze was distrustful; regardless, he took Kain's outstretched hand, his grip firm. "Gavin Skyglow. Dragon rider from Darkfall. It's an honor to work beside you."

#my writing #dragonsinger #camp nanowrimo

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