Of Mages and Dragons

Our little group of four walked across the meadow under a beautiful sunny day.

Leading the way were Merite and Coletto, both dressed in fitted outfits of leather-like material, sleeveless and ending in short skirts. They also wore long boots that reached just above their knees.

The only difference in their attire was the color: Merite’s was scarlet, while Coletto’s a shade of cobalt, and both were adorned with golden embroidery.

They called them their "uniforms," apparently because they’re now officially my attendants (according to them). Honestly, I think I can manage just fine on my own, but I’ll keep that thought to myself since they looked very happy when they told me.

"Oh! The clouds have completely cleared," I said, shading the sun with one hand while looking to the east. "You can see the whole mountain!"

Strange as it may seem, the island had expanded considerably, and now there was a mountainous region not far from Myrthalas.

"How’s life in Dragonpeak?" I asked the last member of our small group.

Behind me, walking like a bodyguard, was a tall, muscular man with black hair falling to his shoulders and a pointed beard and mustache that made him look like one of those old-world gentlemen.

He wore a light kind of dragonscale armor, allowing greater mobility. And truth be told, when it came to dragon scales, thickness was hardly necessary.

Strangely enough, this armor was actually part of his body, yet he could wear it externally whenever he took human form. The image in my head was of a turtle that could remove its shell… but I’ll keep that one to myself.

I haven’t forgotten that humans weren’t the first to take that form, but for simplicity’s sake I’ll keep calling it that in my mind.

"It’s a marvelous mountain, master, but are you sure I can keep it?" asked Rafal behind me, who now called me master just like Coletto.

"The rising of Dragonpeak and the other mountains coincided with your arrival in Orb, so consider it destiny," I replied with a shrug. "Besides, it was the least I could do after all the time you spent protecting the Abyss."

It’s still not clear why Orb expanded so suddenly, but there are so many other things left unexplained that worrying about each one seems pointless…

"Not at all, master. I couldn’t repel the demon invasion. It remains one of my greatest disgraces."

Apparently another of his disgraces was having quarreled with his daughter thousands of years ago, but I haven’t asked for details. I don’t like getting involved in other people’s family matters…

"Ever since Rafal took up residence in Dragonpeak, many plants and magical herbs have begun to grow there," Coletto called back from the front. "That will ultimately benefit everyone."

"Rafal, you have to share them with the spirits of Myrthalas!" Merite added, glancing back at the dragon.

"Of course, all the inhabitants of Orb are welcome on the mountain," Rafal affirmed with a calm smile.

In truth, Rafal is even older than Lirilien. It seems he and his daughter are among the last ancient dragons in Ameritia. But Merite and Coletto couldn’t care less, and treat him as just a newcomer.

Rafal only smiles at the attitude of the two spirits, even taking their side whenever Lirilien scolds them.

These days, Meldior finds it hard to believe that the dragon was once known as a living catastrophe.

But as Rafal himself explained, he did it because it was his mission, not because he bore any grudge against humanity or the surface dwellers.

When I explained my situation to him, the first thing he did was kneel and pledge me his loyalty. Whether because of my aura or because of Orb’s existence, he never once doubted that my words were true.

Unfortunately, just like Lirilien, Rafal also knows nothing about the whereabouts of what he calls the Origin Dragons, the first dragons born into the world. And like her, he was told little beyond the fact that he had to protect the lands surrounding Lake Coaliren, at whose center Endalor once stood in ancient times.

It must be an enormous lake…

As for Meldior, the first thing he did upon arriving in Orb was faint. Then he fainted again when I revealed my identity.

After that he bombarded me with questions (and obeisances, interchangeably), none of which I could answer, since frankly he knows more about my former self than I do.

I explained all of that to the two of them, and for that very reason asked that they keep my identity a secret.

The mage didn’t hesitate to pledge me his loyalty (though I never asked for it). I believe it was mainly so that I would allow him to live in Orb. Which had been my intention from the beginning, so I really would have preferred if he had spared me all those obeisances that were really nothing more than awkward…

One reverence would have been enough… There has to be one, after all.

Anyway, before continuing my journey out of the Abyss, I spent some time in Orb studying magic with Meldior.

My goal, besides learning to control my spells, was to master some weaker ones, since apparently the combination of primordial magic flowing through me and the use of the First Language was a bit of an overkill against most of my enemies.

Thanks to the mage, I now had command of the art of creating spells using both the present common tongue and the ancestral tongue practiced on the Isle of Mages. I must admit that the Uris brooch was of great help in these cases, since I only knew the First Language (as Lirilien and Rafal called it).

Speaking of Meldior… we’ve finally arrived.

Our small group stopped at the foot of a hill, where marble steps began to climb toward a great tower rising far into the sky.

***

"Well, well, I have lost…" the old mage said, stroking his beard.

The echo of his voice mingled with the echoes of our footsteps as we advanced through the wide hall filled with large windows.

"My lord! I was waiting for you!" said a melodious voice that sounded like a spring song.

Lirilien rose from her chair, placed opposite the mage’s. On the table between them rested the Fitoren board, Ameritia’s version of chess, and Meldior contemplated it with frustration as he saw laid out before him the complete victory of the princess of the spirits.

"Maybe with a thousand years of practice you'll be able to win," (consoling him?) Merite closed her eyes and, smugly, placed her hand on the old man's shoulder.

"You’ve done wonderful work with this tower, Meldior," I said, looking around me. "The views from this height are truly spectacular; you can see almost the entire island."

Fortunately there were magical circles in the tower’s center that work as an elevator, otherwise we wouldn’t have finished climbing until tomorrow…

"Every self-respecting mage must have a tower to his measure, especially if he is an archmage, your majesty," said the mage, rising from his chair and offering a bow. "But it is thanks to your support and that of Lady Lirilien that I was able to raise it."

"I only follow my lord’s commands," replied the princess, folding her hands beneath her smile.

"Meldior, remember not to call me ‘your majesty’ in public though… Lirilien, what are those clothes?"

Now that I noticed, Lirilien was also wearing form-fitting clothes made of the same material as Merite’s and Coletto’s. Unlike them, however, she had tights like those of the Stella, but in light brown, and over them a split skirt with long draping panels that fell to the ground in front and back.

"Of course. It’s because now it’s my turn to accompany you," she answered with a smile that seemed unwilling to accept arguments.

"Ho, ho, ho… I thought my days in parties were long behind me!" the mage exclaimed, jovially stroking his beard. "What better chance to form one than when exploring the Demon King’s dungeon!?"

I had asked Meldior to guide me through the dungeon and apparently he had told Lirilien that this time I would not be going alone…