The Infant and The Dragon

The world we know today is covered in man-made monstrosities made of metal and glass. This is not how the world used to be, and this is not how the world appears on one warm Autumn night, deep in the forest surrounding Mount Somers. This night took place back when homes were still built chiefly of wood and there was no such thing as electricity or indoor plumbing. Most people lived in small villages with their homes built as close to each other as possible for protection as the times were not safe for the average person. Not everyone was like the rest, and there is one, in particular, that was far from average.

Her name was Seti, and she was not raised in the normal fashion, so she was not drawn to the crowded villages with their tight buildings. Ever since she was found as a child alone and injured in the woods surrounding Mount Somers, she was raised very differently from other humans. Now that she is older, this upbringing still impacts the way she lives and has helped not only shape her life but to save the lives of all others. All of that can be discussed at a later date though, for you see, it is getting late, and Seti must get her family to bed.

“It is time for bed, little ones,” Seti says as she herds her twin boys toward their quaint cabin. It had been a pleasantly warm day for autumn time, so the whole family spent as much of it as possible outside. Seti has always preferred to be outdoors because of how she was raised and has raised her children with love and respect for nature. She has lived in the same quaint little cabin for as long as she can remember, and her husband was more than happy to live in it too as he fell in love with the place. The cabin was close enough to a small village by the name of Drodon to make it easy for day trips to get things the family needed, but it was far enough out that no one ever ventured to their home and bothered them. However, there are other reasons why no one ever dares to venture to the cabin, which can also be explained at a later time.

“Will you tell us a bedtime story, ma?” Fulco, the youngest of the twin boys asks as Seti pulls the covers back on each of the beds while the boys change into their bedclothes.

“A story? I would think you would be tired of them already since you ask me to tell you one every night,” Seti says, smiling at her husband, Turibius, who is standing in the doorway to the boys’ room. The room was just big enough to allow room for the two beds and a little area for playing, but the boys seemed content with the size of their room even though Turibius offered to make it bigger.

“We will never tire of your stories, ma,” Cenric, the oldest twin answers as he climbs into bed.

"What story should I tell tonight? Who wants to pick out a story?" Seti asks, sitting on the rocking chair by the room window, which also happens to be right where a small shelf is filled with different-sized books.

"I want to hear the story about Him," Cenric says, causing Seti to stiffen up.

"Cenric, you know you are not supposed to mention Him," Fulco says as Turibius moves to stand behind Seti, placing his hands on her shoulders. He tightens his grip when he feels the slight shake in her shoulders as she stares out the window, seeming lost in her mind.

“I did not mean to upset, momma,” Cenric says, hugging his blanket to his chest as he sits at the head of his bed.

“We know you did not. I promise, your mom is not upset with you. She just tends to get lost in memories whenever He is brought up,” Turibius says, leaning over so he can wrap his arms around Seti and keep both boys in his line of sight.

“You can just read us one of our books, ma,” Cenric says as Fulco climbs out of his bed and into bed with him. Seti seems to break out of her thoughts and slowly turns to look at her two boys, cuddled up in bed together. Seeing her two boys upset, makes Seti lean back into her husband as much as she can while she is sitting in the chair. Turibius plants a soft kiss on the top of her head as he gently rubs her arm where his hand is sitting. He can feel the bottom edge of one of Seti’s many scars, and his heart hurts as it always does when he thinks of what she had to go through over the years of the Great War.

“Instead of reading you one of your stories that you have heard a hundred times already, why don’t I tell you a story?” Seti says, watching her boys closely. She glances up at Turibius when his grip on her tightens slightly. “No, it will not be about him or the Great War.”

“What would it be about then?” Fulco asks, laying against Cenric’s chest as they both settle back against the pillows piled at the head of Cenric’s bed.

“How about I tell you about being found by your grandma?” Seti says, smiling when both boys' eyes light up at the mention of their grandma.

“Grandma Suni is the best,” Cenric says.

“I wish we could see her more often,” Fulco says, looking sad for a moment.

“We know you do. You just have to remember grandma Suni is very busy and visits as often as she can,” Turibius says, tightening his hold on Seti for a second before letting her go and moving to set on Fulco’s bed.

“It has been a long time since we last saw her,” Fulco says. Cenric runs his hand through Fulco’s hair, which gets another smile out of Seti.

“She will be here in time for your birthday, I promise,” Seti says, turning the chair to face the beds more. “Now, settle in so I can tell you about how Suni found me.”

~

Suni was doing her normal perimeter check on another cold and dark day. Most days were dark and cold during the time of the war. It was as if the whole world was held under a dangerous and ominous cloud as evil reigned over it. She was one of the top warriors of the colony, so she was often in charge of doing perimeter checks to make sure no spies for the evil in the world were drawing near to their domain. The colony has managed to stay hidden and safe for a long time because they are overly precautious, which is why the perimeter checks were a crucial thing that had to be done.

She was just finishing her final sweep when off in the distance she heard a sound being carried by the wind. A sound she has never heard before, and it sounded just close enough to their border that it needs to be investigated. As she approaches where the sound is coming from, she slows down and carefully creeps closer, staying hidden behind a cropping of rocks.

Suni slowly eases her head around the side of the rock cropping to see a horrible sight that will forever be engraved in her mind. On the other side of the cropping is a small clearing amongst the trees, and the whole clearing is drenched in blood. The sound is coming from the opposite side of the clearing from the crop of rocks, but the sight of the clearing makes Suni hesitate to wonder further. She carefully looks around and tries to listen for any other sounds to make sure it is not some kind of trap. She was never more thankful for her enhanced hearing because the noise was very loud and does not appear to be stopping any time soon.

Once Suni is sure there is nothing else near that can pose any danger, she carefully creeps around the cropping to better take in the clearing. In the middle of the clearing is a pile of cloth that looks a lot like bags used for carrying things, but everything that was once inside the bags is now spread out all around the cloth, which is torn. On one side of the pile is what appears to be what is left of a human male, and some parts of him are no longer there, which worries Suni. Only ogres or trolls would take any part of their victim as they would want it as a snack for later during their travels. Closer to where the sound is originating from is another body, which is turned away from where Suni is standing, but it looks to be a human female based on its shape. It also appears to be missing some parts, which cements the thought in Suni’s mind that this is the work of ogres.

As the sound continues, Suni decides to just get it over with and rush to see what is making the sound. Part of her is worried that if it continues, the ogres may come back to finish what they started if they are still near. Another part of her is worried about what else may be in the area that could be attracted by the sound. Suni carefully but quickly makes her way towards the sound, making sure to stay on the edge of the clearing to avoid the mess in the center. At first, she does not find anything when she gets to the other side of the clearing and turns to look into the clearing as the sound has gone quiet upon her approaching it.

After a short moment of Suni carefully looking around, she hears a faint sound almost like something trying to be quiet while shuffling around. She turns slowly and walks towards the new sound, hoping it is coming from the same source as the other sound. Her ears lead her toward an older tree that has a bunch of overgrown ivy growing up the sides of it. She looks closely to see if something is tucked into the ivy, but there does not appear to be anything.

She starts to slowly walk around the tree to try and find the source of the noise when she hears another soft noise coming from above where she is standing under the tree branches. She looks up, and at first, does not see anything but eventually catches sight of more cloth similar to what is torn up in the middle of the clearing. The cloth is slightly moving even though there is no breeze to move it, so Suni carefully starts to climb up into the tree to get a better look at it.

As she draws near the cloth, she can make out a small human infant, just barely a few months old. At first, all she can do is stare at the infant, but when the infant turns tear-filled eyes towards her, she reaches out and pulls it out of the cloth. Once she has a steady hold on the small infant that seems even smaller in her large arms, she carefully climbs back down the tree, making sure to keep the infant's head turned away from the clearing. She did not want the tiny thing to see the sight of what is most likely its mother and father.

Once she is on the ground, she quickly walks away from the clearing before stopping to get a better look at the small infant. The poor thing is covered in dirt and looks to be underfed, but it seems to be completely unharmed, which brings some relief to Suni. After making sure the infant is safely secured into her arms, Suni makes her way back to the colony as quickly as she can. Part of her is worried about how the elders will react, but she knows she cannot leave the infant alone and unprotected. She may have just met the small thing, but as she looks down into the most stunning pair of green eyes she has ever seen, so knows she will do everything she can to keep the small infant safe even if it meant leaving her colony and trying to survive in the dangerous world on her own with the infant.

~

“Did grandma Suni have to leave the colony?” Cenric asks, drawing Seti out of her memories of Suni telling her the very same story when she was around the same age as the boys.

“She almost did, but she was able to convince the elders and the colony that I was completely alone and posed no threat to the colony. They were very hesitant though, especially since she found me so close to the border of their domain. They were rightfully worried that having me there would attract unwanted attention and put all of them at risk. They had young of their own to consider,” Seti says, smiling at her boys. Fulco was about to fall asleep as Cenric continues to run his hand through Fulco’s hair.

“I am glad grandma Suni found you,” Fulco mumbles, covering his mouth as he yawns.

“I am glad too. Otherwise, I would not have you or your brother in my life,” Turibius says, getting up off Fulco’s bed. He carefully scoops Fulco up off Cenric’s bed before laying him out in his bed. As he is laying him out, Seti gets up and tucks Cenric into his bed, placing a kiss on his forehead. She then moves over and does the same to Fulco, smiling when he gives her a small and weak kiss on her cheek.

“I love you, ma,” Fulco says around another yawn.

“I love you both too,” Seti says, following her husband out of the room and closing it to where there is just a small crack left in the door. Seti then heads into the kitchen and starts the kettle so she can enjoy one last cup of tea before heading to bed herself.

“Have you heard from Suni recently?” Turibius asks, getting a couple of cups out of the cupboards before moving to stand behind Seti and wrapping his arms around her.

“She was able to reach out to me briefly this morning,” Seti says, frowning as she touches a small stone necklace she wears every day.

“You would think with the war being over, she would be able to visit more often than she does,” Turibius says, laying his chin on Seti’s shoulder.

“They are keeping her busy on purpose. They do not want her to spend time around us humans,” Seti says, growing angry while thinking of the colony elders.

“You are her child. They let her raise you. Why can’t they just leave her alone?”

“You know how the elders are. They will never be excepting of me or anyone like me. They only let her keep me so she would not leave the colony. Losing their strongest warrior would have put them all in danger.”

“I do not get how losing her would have put them all at risk. They are a large colony of dragons for crying out loud. They have plenty of strength and magic to keep them all safe.”

“We all know that, and even they know that. They were just stuck in their ways and overprotective of all of their kind. That is why they formed such a large colony in the first place, to keep them all together and safe. Now, let us enjoy our tea and not think about them anymore tonight.”