Unsettled Creatures

There weren't always dragons in the valley. Anyone would tell you that, on a Monday or a Friday or any day of the week, and it would be true. But no one would be able to tell you where they came from, or what they were doing here.

Unless that person was me. I know exactly how they got here because I let them in.

Of all the wrongs I've done, this isn't on the list, but it has yet to reach its conclusion, so I won't say it's not a possibility.

The first name you need to know is Gareth, and no that isn't my name. I'm not important in the big scheme of things. Gareth is the blood-born king of dragons, whom I made one hell of a deal with. Any kind of folk you ask will tell you not to make deals with daemons, witches, or even your next door neighbor, but none warn you of making deals with dragons.

I was crippled, rotting away in my own defecation. My caretakers were more focused on the taking, than the caring, and I was left penniless without an ounce of will to even get myself to the bathroom. Then, one morning, I woke with a bronze key in my closed palm. I'd never seen a key like it, nor have I since. It exuded a heat that I cannot begin to describe, warming my hand, yes, but I could taste it too, in a way. And I knew it was nothing I'd ever touched before.

I realized next that I could feel my legs. It had been five long years since I even felt a tickle. It was that feeling of being alive, of possibly walking that got me out of my sodden bed. My legs held strong, no atrophy, or weakness, and there was an innate sense of direction in my steps.

The sky was just breaking to daylight and I walked and walked until I was in the Sunfly field, home to the dreadful Sunflies. Bees, anyone can tolerate, but Sunflies burrow under your skin and feast on your blood veins. As such, the field, and the two beyond it, were boarded off to everyone. Some folk called the three fields the Forsaken Valleys.

I noticed as I entered the first field not a single Sunfly landed on my bare legs, or arms. The key in my hand grew warmer, and as I reached the center of the field, I felt a magnetic pull towards the Earth. My knees met land and shoved leaves and branches away to reveal a trap door fit with a lock. My heart skipped a beat and I looked at the key in my hand. At this point I'd never considered what might be inside, and certainly not dragons.

I inserted the key without hesitation and lifted open each side of the hatch. Warmth met my face, as well as the smell of iron.

"Who am I speaking with?" A voice whispered with a twinge of something.

"Emrys. Who are you?" I replied, trying to place the accent I heard.

"Well, Emrys, I am King Gareth, and you are our savior. We have sent the key out into the human world many times, but none have heeded the call. Ask for anything you'd like, and it will be yours."

"I've no idea what I want."

"Well, I might suggest living up to your namesake."

"Huh?"

"Your name, Emrys, means Immortal. How would you like to never die, Emrys?"

I spent entirely too short of a time considering, and replied, "Sounds good to me, Gareth, but what-

I was cut off before I could finish by beating wings flooding out of the trap door. I screamed, covering my head, but they paid me no mind.

One massive dragon landed directly behind me and I twisted around to beg for my life- only, he laughed. His four legs were each the size of my body, covered in sharp sheaths of green scales. The wings were free of scales, but corded with muscles and feathers, changing from purple to yellow in a blink of an eye. But the face got me the most- too humanoid to make sense to me. The smell of iron was near suffocating as I sucked in breath after breath.

"You have nothing to fear, Emrys. And that aside, you cannot die. Neither a sword nor a poison could kill you. I am Gareth, King of Dragons, and you have my eternal gratitude for freeing us."

At the time, I was too terrified to ask many questions, and as soon as his attention was off of me, I bolted out of the field.

Seventeen days have passed, and the towns folk have not been eaten, killed, tortured or harmed in any way, which makes me beg the question of what the dragons want.

Some part of me hopes it was all a dream, but every morning I can hear thousands of wings beating as they hunt for food. I know that if I want my answer I will have to go get them.

Which is what I am doing today, meeting with the King of Dragons. I saw many of my neighbors gazing towards the fields with awe-struck faces. I heard there were multiple town meetings to discuss what could be done.

I entered the first Sunfly field and searched amongst the dragons for Gareth.

"Are you looking for Gareth?"

I jumped a mile high at the rumble from beside me. Fun fact; dragons can laugh.

"Yes, what is your name?" This dragon had all purple coloring, even her scales. She was only 1\4 of the size Gareth was.

"He's out hunting right now. You humans are rude! All you do is stare at us! We haven't done anything wrong, you know!"

"Yes, I know that. I'm the one that freed you."

She blinked and leaned down forward, almost like a cat about to pounce.

"You're the Immortal?" She clicked her tongue.

"That's what he said, yes."

"I'm Xia, and it's a pleasure to meet you. Can we play?"

I was perplexed by the question and stood there with my jaw hanging low.

"Play?" I managed finally.

"Yes! Surely humans play?"

"Uhh, I suppose. What should we play?"

She rolled over and when she came full circle she was in a human body. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. How a majestic and deadly creature could turn into something, someone, so dainty and beautiful. Her hair was almost down to her legs! I didn't have much time to process before she tackled me to the ground. She began laughing, "Wrestle back, Emrys!"

She pinched me rather hard and I rolled us, planning on putting distance between us, but she was incredibly strong. I had to fight with every ounce of strength I had to just not break in two. At one point our heads smacked into each other and we fell onto our backs, groaning.

"Xia, are you alright?" I muttered and turned over.

She leaned in and kissed me. It was barely a second and the next second she turned into a dragon again shouting from the top of her lungs that we were married.

Did I just-

Was that-

I realized then that I'd been asked out, courted, and married all within a twenty minute span of time.

"Emrys!"

"Go away." I muttered, covering my face. I should have stayed home. Kept my distance.

"You cannot speak to your wife that way!"

I stood up and stalked off to the edge of the field only to find I could not exit. As soon as the sidewalk approached, it stretched further away. I turned back around.

"I freed you! You cannot take my life too!"

Xia landed in front of me, Gareth next to her.

"Xia, did you not explain to him what was happening?"

She looked down at her feet.

"Well, Emrys, that is her error. You are free from your debt to my daughter."

Xia looked at me longingly, which, while flattering, was strange. We'd known each other for twenty minutes!

"But the prophecy-

"Enough!" Gareth's voice boomed across the field.

"Prophecy?" I questioned stonily.

"Honor the marriage and you will know, or walk away and never return, Emrys. This is your only chance."

I looked at Xia, thinking of the brief kiss, of her long purple hair, and the feel of her rough skin. I thought of my boring existence with no family or friends, as well as my the rest of time stretching before me.

"I accept. Now why are you here?"

Gareth rumbled a laugh and looked down at Xia.

"We're here to breed the next generation of dragons."

I rubbed my jaw. "You don't mean- with- with humans?"

"Humans indeed, Emrys, why else do you think we haven't eaten you all?"

They laughed, and it traveled around to the other dragons until the ground was thundering from their joined laughter.

"What have I done?" I whispered.

"You've brought a new beginning!" Xia said brightly and resumed her human form.

I felt my face heat up as she molded herself to my body, and leaned on me like we'd known each other for years.

There was something familiar about the sensation of holding her and I whispered in her ear.

"Has this happened before?"

"Only a thousand times." She said with a grin.