UNIQUELY YOU A DRAGON’S QUEST

Bartimus looked at the girl who was supposed to be his master. She was so fragile and weak it made him feel like she would die at any moment. But she had survived in his presence earlier and the fire so maybe she wasn so weak . She had black hair that cascaded to her waist. It looked soft but he couldn touch it. Her eyes were an intense bright Brown in contrast to her black hair and eyebrows and lashes. A warm breeze passed by but he noticed she shivered. He scrutinized her internally and searched her memories.

One by one, her joyful memories along with her feelings at those moments started to flood him. Her first ride on a horse, when she had come of age, the birth of child he supposed was her brother, her engagement, the first time she saw a rabbit, her watering her roses, bathing in her parents bathroom and other petty things. He switched to the sad memories and he expected to find more petty things but what he saw was just sad. Her brothers death, her grandmothers death, the death of her fiancee, the death of her nanny while trying to save her from a wolf when she had demanded to see a rabbit, her favorite uncle calling her cursed and the death of her parents trying to save her.

He looked away from Selene and he wished he could cry for her but dragons didn have tear glands. He took about ten minutes before looking at her again. He remembered how she had smiled at him earlier and thought of how she could manage to do so. If he could and if he was her and if he had a heart, he would cry all the time. He moved closer and breathed in her face. She smiled at the warmth that she felt and he felt less tense. She looked like a child as she slept; helpless and yet calm.

Bartimus let himself doze off and he was asleep in less than a five minutes. He opened his eyes in his dream where he stood in a deserted village. He was a much smaller dragon there. He looked around and saw a bald woman standing in front of a well. She was young facially but the rest of her body said otherwise. She took a piece of cloth and tied it around her head; leaving the top uncovered. She took a rope out of thin air and made a nooze that she put around her neck. Her hands were trembling even as she did so. Her movements were slow and laboured as she lifted her feet to sit on the rim of the wells mouth. She whispered something that Bartimus didn quite catch so he moved forward. Though he was getting closer to her, her voice was becoming quieter and in time only her lips moved. She threw herself in the well and even hugged herself before she hit the waters surface.

If she didn drown then the ropes pressure on her throat would kill her. When Bartimus looked up from the well the woman was sitting on the rim of the well. He was startled but then the woman smiled. He didn know if was supposed to relax after seeing her smile but he was sure that her toothless smile was more starling than her sudden appearance. Her face started to fall apart and she slowly placed her hand on the side of his neck. She smiled again but this time she had a few teeth in her mouth. Not attached to her gum though; they were attached to her tongue and he saw more leading down her throat.

Bartimus tried to move away from her but her grip on him was so strong he couldn even look away from her.

”Human…. ” she said in a cracking whisper.

Bartimus jolted up from his sleep. He felt lighter than he had felt throughout his life. Selene was sitting up with her back against a tree. She looked terrified as she pulled her cloak around her. Bartimus looked at the scared girl and thought maybe had forgotten she was with a dragon so he pondered on how to make her comfortable again. The sun was just rising and he felt the warmth of it on his skin. He wondered why the suns rays felt different; more intense.

Bartimus tried to lift his wing but instead of a wing, a hand rose in front of him. He screamed for the first time and his own voice scared him. He remembered the old lady from his dream and realized what she implied when she said human. He looked at Selene who was now standing, holding his scale in her hands as if it was a charm for good luck.

”Selene…I…. ”

”Ahhhh…. ” she screamed.

Bartimus looked puzzled at his masters behavior. He didn know why she was screaming or how to stop her. He looked at himself and realized why she was screaming; he was naked. He tied to his his nakedness to the best of his abilities but with his small human hands, most of him was still visible. He looked at Selene who had turned away from him and was still screaming. He looked at her petit figure and saw in new light that she wasn so fragile. She picked up a rock and threw it over her shoulder in an attempt to hit him. She missed; obviously and Bartimus couldn help but frown.

”Selene, please listen to…. ”

”Ahhh… ” she screamed again.

This time she even run and hide herself behind a tree. She didn want to hear his voice because it was similar to her uncles and she had never liked the man. Apart from that, his voice birthed an eerie feeling in her. Her guy told her he was trouble. She peeped from behind the tree and saw that he was trying to get up but he kept failing.

I have to run away. It seems this man doesn know how to walk but he knows my name. The scale will help me once I sell it.

Selene started running just when Bartimus had managed to stand on his new feet. He looked at the print ha had left as a bragon and he felt small. Not even a baby dragon left such a small print. He looked at the tree were Selene had hidden and he could feel that she wasn there anymore. Had she not recognized him?