Our little girl

Our young one

Our human

Has gone and done something

Something I would want to call stupid

But I do believe

I truly believe

That she just don't understand.

She does not understand the consequences of her words.

It all began with the Gathering

And that insufferable faun.

Truly, his years of magical surgery has made him senile.

That old stupid fart

Wrinkles would at least make you redeemable.

Ahem

Anyway

From the start

“My dear venerable elder, so happy to see you”

A voice which I wish were never born.

Turning around, seeing a face I wish was never created.

“It is you”

I responded, letting my dislike for him shine through.

“Oh my, you don’t have to be so toxic all the time, it will make you grow older, you know”

One of the rare occasions we are alone together.

And he tries to be polite.

As if, you rotten pile of bones.

“I am not being toxic. I am trying to chase away the filth that deigns to speak with me.”

“Oooh, that’s a new one. Quiet good”

A smug face plastered on him

“What do you want”

Letting my anger seep out, eyebrows focused and narrowed.

“Hm, just like the human right too business”

A raised eyebrow, looking up to the sky as if thinking about a hard puzzle

Looking down again, staring into mine.

Finaly looking honest.

With his dead eyes and frown to match.

“You know just as well as I do, that taking this to the Gathering will only be a waste of time. You can't win, especially now that your son-“

“Dont you dare take my son into it, he has been foolish, but it was his own choice.”

A sigh.

“No, it is not. Not when you so hastily made him an elder. He now belongs to the city, one of us. And with it, comes a responsibility, one that he threw away for some, weak love”

How dare you

You big bag of god filth.

“Leave, my son. Out of it”

Giving me an exasperated eye-roll

He slowly said.

“As I’ve already said. This will lead to the Gathering deciding that she now belongs to us. I just wanted to ask her directly, making this all so much easier and faster, but noooo. You have to-“

“Sometimes I can't fathom how stupid you have become. Can you not see? She is not just a strong human, no. She has some sort of backing, some allies we dont know of. Just the other day, she just casually came strolling back with a phoenix. A phoenix! Cant you see?”

“I can see loud and clear, venerable elder, but I fail to see how this changes anything?”

Frown still on his face

Looking quiet bored.

As if replaying an encounter he has already had

Which he has.

“Ah, you stupid old pile of dung. If we bind her here, her allies will come to find her, and if they find her burnt to a crisp, they will want answers. And we don’t need more enemies.”

Giving me an angry glare

He opened his mouth

But closed it.

Steam coming out of his body

The surrounding environment growing hotter and hotter.

Oh, hehe.

Getting called old still makes you angry, huh?

A few seconds passed

And soon the steam resided.

And he calmed.

“Pheew. Still, I don’t see how this changes anything? She already came here wounded and confused. If worse comes to worst, we just tell her allies we found her dead.”

Ah

Of course

I forgot how nasty you can be.

Or wait

No, no, I did not.

“She could become such a valuable ally if we just, befriended her.”

“I fail to see how she can’t already become one?”

“You old fart, she will rebel, she will fight back, she will use all her power to escape if we try to shackle her. If we let her fight for us on her own free will, we can use her for so much more.”

The surrounding grew hotter

Hotter and hotter

Worse than before.

And his eyes started glowing

Power leaking.

In return, I amassed my own mana.

Condensing it around my hands

Preparing a water shield.

Something I have become quite excellent at forming

Maybe even the best amongst all fauns.

But nothing happened.

Only giving me a last glare.

“Then we have to agree to disagree.”

Turning around and walking away.

Leaving me with an un-cast spell

And a heart fuming.

Luckily, I am a very old faun.

During my long years, I have acquired many friends.

Many of them being elders.

And many of them would gladly support my decision, no matter what I decided.

Being loyal to a fault

Which I thank them for.

From the bottom of my heart.

But this

This Gathering.

Is not something I think we can win

So I will need all the support I can get

And with it, we just might

Might be able to make it into a tie.

A tie where she would have enough time to get out of here

To flee far away.

In which the Gathering would be forced to accept her freedom

And therefore

Making it possible for her to return one day.

Hopefully.

But, considering that it would be him that is the leader of the opposition

I don't think it will go that easy-

He has a knack for persuading people-

A charm that few can match

Not even I possess such charm-

Even if the charm is a pile of fuming god shit.

“Son, tell me. Do you love her?”

I asked, walking towards the gathering.

Talking in faunish, as she was walking besides us

With the phoenix floating close by

Staring down at me

As if listening.

Strange creature.

“I-I.... I don’t think so.”

He responded, stuttering a bit

You don't think?

I need something more concrete than that.

Oh, my little boy.

Why do you have to get feelings now of all times?

“You don’t think? As in, you might or you dont know?”

“I-.. Why do I have to answer this? Is it really that important?”

“No, no, it is not important, but I want to know. You're my only son, giving you away to a human, no matter how wonderful she is, is not something I want to do.”

“I know, but... I can't help it, she is... She is my destiny.”

Pffft, destiny.

I have thought many times that someone would be a part of my destiny.

But living for as long as I have

It always ends badly

And trust me son

Now that you are also an immortal

It will happen to you too.

Hopefully, she will forget your name when the time comes.

As she too, is an immortal

I think.

“Hey, erm, if we fail in getting the Gathering to let her be free. What do we do?”

Question shaking me from thoughts.

A good question.

One that I don't have an answer too.

“I dont know”

“What do you mean? You always know what to do”

“Not always, you only think that because of my old age. It gives me an advantage. Wisdom beyond anyone else, but even I, dont know everything.”

Silence

Walking side by side.

The human seeming distracted

Looking around with wide eyes

Taking in the sights.

Like a child

So innocent

But yet, so scarred.

“Then, I think. I think we should escape this city!”

He exclaimed, excitement in his voice.

“I know how fast she can run and I know you have magic that’s stronger than anyone's, we could!”

Hehe, oh my little son

Yes we could

Yes, we could.

“Maybe, but you know I can’t.”

Hearing my words, his expression quickly turned sour.

Then sad, eyes looking to me.

A pleading look, eyes I have seen many times before.

Eyes that have always made me retract, to give in.

I have spoilt him too much, giving him anything he wanted

I think it might be my fault he got so attached to her

Probably.

Instead of meeting his eyes, I focused forwards

Towards the Gathering

Toward the great hall.

Surrounded by six great pillars.

Many myths has been spun about these pillars

Why were they cut out?

Why are there six?

How has it lasted for so many generations?

Hehehe

It is always so much fun when you know the answers.

For you see

Those were once the statues of six great dragons

Six dragons more powerful than even the gods.

Cut down in defiance as we decided to go against them.

But still standing.

As the magic that made them were far stronger than anything known.

Time and the help of gods were the only thing that managed to cut even the top of those great pillars.

Oh, such times.

Such wonderfully simple times.

Inside of the great hall.

The small chamber

The gathering had started.

I find myself shouting.

And just as predicted

The discussion had turned loud.

And unfortunately

Not in our favor.

Once she had told her side of the story, about how and why she had come here.

Many, including me

Noticed how much she hid

Lying to her teeth as she told her story.

And weirdly enough, it was always about the phoenix

Interesting.

So that phoenix has something to do with her allies

Something secret and important.

But unfortunately, it did not help our cause.

As the other elder saw the lying as something far worse

Seeing her more as a danger than a possible ally.

And as the saying goes

Keep your friend close, but your enemies closer.

So most decided that they rather keep her on a leash where they could use her.

Stupid fauns.

How can you not see farther than your horns grow?

Anyway.

I still have a few smart ones that can see the value in keeping her free

And those still loyal to me

With these, we could at least draw out a tie.

“Human, why would you think coming here, expecting our help, would be for free?”

The old pile of shit asked

What do you think.

Of course she did not.

“She never asked to be healed! Nor did she ever say that she would not re-pay us! I healed her on my own behalf!”

I yelled back, feeling my anger fuming

Hours of talking, taking its toll on me.

But I still felt in control.

Aaa

These Gatherings

Always bring out the bad bones in my body.

“You may have done it on your behalf! But you used our precious Dragon blood to heal her, and a ritual that should be forbidden for anyone outside!”

He responded, still a big smile on his face

Even after yelling louder than anyone in the hall.

A skill few posses.

“She was dying! Would you leave someone for dead? And as i said she wil-“

But he interrupted me.

Yelling louder than before

Still sporting a smile.

“Dying?! The ritual is worse than death! Letting her take the ritual was not something you did with the sake of her life in mind. No I’ve heard whispers, you did it for your son!”

...

How dare you bring up my son

You filthy old bag of bones.

“I did no such thing.”

I almost whispered

But being heard

As the hall had grown silent.

And he whispered in response.

“Oh, but you did. I’ve heard a little whisper, a little whisper that said that your precious little son was wounded when fighting with the human, who in turn. Gave, and drank Dragon blood”

Ah

I see

So this was your plan

How you would win the argument

How you would win the hearts of the elders

Bringing those unsure to your side

Using emotions as a crutch

Making me look like someone who had made a rash decision

Something I might have done.

But he continued

Smile growing up to his eyes

Becoming genuine.

“And you, you could not bare to see your son die. Even if he was not ready for the ritual. Nor could you deal with his sorrow, so you did the only thing you could think off, you di-“

“SHUT UP”

I shouted

Making the hall quake

Feeling my entire body well up with mana

Eyes glowing

Strength flowing

I could so easily kill him

I could deal with the consequences

I could do it

Anything for my son.

...

“Oh venerable one, I ask you to not use magic in the chamber”

The judge said

One of the oldest

One of the biggest

But still younger than me.

I sighed.

Then breathed in

And then blowing out

A big breath.

“I’m sorry, my anger got the best of me”

Trying to extinguish the embers of hate I still held inside me

Trying to calm a fire that was burning

A task

I have had to do many times.

And unfortunately

Made me unaware of my surroundings

Not focusing on the talk.

My explosion of emotions has surely made our side lose all votes

The only ones staying are those loyal

So I stayed unaware

Focusing on quelling the anger.

But if I had just focused

Stayed in the moment

Listened

I might have been able to stop this

Stop the madness.

“.....We want you, to find the source of the blue flames that painted the sky many nights ago”

“Oh, haha yeah I know him, it’s mister dragon over here”

She said

Pointing at the phoenix.

Making the hall go deathly silent.

Staring wide eyed at her

And the phoenix.

Those few words spoken

Held so much information

Something that should not have been said

Nor been heard.

But in contrast to the others

Who had heard danger

And death.

About a phoenix that held immense power

A Phoenix that they were searching for.

I heard something else

Something far different

I heard the word dragon

And I remembered

I remembered a blue dragon

Capable of transforming.

Making me stare

Stare into the awe-inspiring form of the phoenix

Flames licking the air

Looking around itself bored and unfazed.

And I felt something

Something I have not felt for a very, very long time

I felt fear

Genuin and horrifying.