Dragon King

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. And I know what you're thinking, “well why is there now?” And of course, I have to respond that that is simply a silly question. The bigger question is, why didn’t, there used to be dragons in the Valley? And the answer is simple, Porter. I know… I know… I promise I will explain it all, but suffice to say, Porter kept us dragon free, and we didn’t even know it till the townies drove him away.

In all the world you cannot find a more idyllic place than our little Valley. So beautiful, that in our history it has always just been known as “Valley,” the founders felt that no other name could express its perfectness. Crops seemed to grow in rotations year-round, rarely too hot and never too cold. A sweet river runs along the boarder of Valley on one side, with smaller streams running here and there.

Porter lived just outside Valley, at the base of the mountain, deep in the woods. All anyone knew was that he would lumber into town once a month and trade for supplies. He always had the softest animal pelts, the best herbs, and frankly the most amazing potions. No one ever questioned him, but the whispers were always there, he never seemed to age, as though stuck as a perpetual 40-year-old man. He never sampled of the town’s women, or men for that matter. He was always kind, and for the most part, the people of Valley were too.

News of dragons spreading would reach us every few years, though they never gave us problems. The young ones are mostly just a nuisance; starting fires with sneezes and nibbling on foods they haven’t bartered for, and who’s going to tell them no, I mean come-on, they are dragons after all. The older ones can do some serious damage, but they seem to keep more to themselves; unless provoked that is, then they will burn your town to the ground without a second thought. We just figured there were no dens near us, so we were just lucky to not have any run ins with them. In truth, I personally think they are beautiful and more than worth the nuisance, but I digress. What we didn’t know, I mean, how could we have known, is that fully adult dragons can actually shape shift into humans at will.

It has only been a month or so since, but it seems everything happened so fast. So back to Porter, it was strange that he never seemed to age, and well here I am, ageing and changing, it really is a shock that no one ever really made a solid attempt for him to notice them, there would have been rumors abounding had anyone. I thought he was the most beautiful man ever created. When the sun hit his skin just right it almost shimmered with its copper color. His eyes would flash gold when he looked at me. Truly, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. His hair was dark as night. And no matter the weather he wore just a leather tunic and fitted leather pants.

It was an out of towner that first noticed that he wasn’t like the rest of us in Valley. A simple peddler, shook our entire world. Normally the peddler that visited us did not visit the same time as Porter but by whatever coincidence, Porter was a week later than normal, and the peddler was a week early. It’s as if by a fever dream, that he mentioned that Porter wasn’t quite human. And then the Valley people suddenly felt a fear they hadn’t before. They said Porter was unnatural, that he had to go. So, he did. He packed up his home, and just left. He offered no resistance, no explanation. And here I am, half in love with a man who never said more than five words to me. And suddenly we have dragons.

Of course, there is a direct correlation between his leaving and the young dragon hoard arrival; and of course, these youngling dragons are causing more mayhem than Valley ever bargained for; so now I am off to find Porter. I feel like I have to bring him back. Though, if I cannot, I will beg him to let me stay. Whatever his future is, I want to be a small part of it.