The Dragon’s Throne 1

“The humans live that way because technology destroyed them.  It’s their choice to live simply.”

“Is it?  I don’t think that everyone was given that choice.  I think that choice was made for them a generation ago and they don’t know any better.  They should be able to choose.”

“They’re happy the way they are,” Silas argued.

“And what about the fear?  If we protect them, why do they fear us?”

“They have their reasons,” Silas said.

“Enough, Silas,” Lauren said.  “You know damned well why they fear us.  You might as well tell him; he’s going to find out sooner or later.”

“Tell me what?”

Lauren looked at Silas, who remained silent even though he was obviously mad at Lauren for speaking up.

“If you won’t tell him, I will.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Give me a break, Silas,” Lauren said.  “You’ve been feared by the humans for so long, it’s gone to your head.  I’m not afraid of you.”  She turned to Eli.  “A man saved me from drowning in the river, and when your father found him, at first he thought the man had attacked me.”

“Father, you didn’t kill him, did you?”

“I wanted to, but your mother came back to her senses in time to tell me that he had saved her.”

“Then, what happened?”

Lauren’s face darkened with sadness.

“The man had taken on a lot of water.  We brought him back home to have our personal doctor tend to him, but it was too late.  It took most of the day, but he eventually succumbed to drowning.”

“Why didn’t you just save yourself?” Eli wanted to know.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time, I was only a few weeks along.  It wasn’t until I fell into the river and couldn’t shift that I knew that I was pregnant.  Your father and I had been arguing and he had left to go home.”

“I didn’t know she was pregnant,” Silas reiterated.  “She was angry and anxious and I didn’t know why, so when she lit into me, I got mad and left her there.  I thought she would cool down and come home.”

“So this human man just jumped into the water to save you?” he asked.  “I didn’t think that they were known for their bravery.”

“Most of them are not brave and will run and hide rather than fighting danger head on.  But some humans are courageous and will do the right thing no matter the cost.  Even if that cost is their own life.”

“So this man was brave enough to save your wife from drowning, and you couldn’t save him?  I still don’t understand how that turned into the villagers fearing you.  None of that makes sense.”

Silas pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and breathing out slowly.

“For you to understand that, I have to explain about the man’s wife.  She was there when he jumped into the water to save your mother.  I can’t be sure because I didn’t witness it, and your mother was unconscious for a good part of the rescue, but I think the woman helped as well. 

“When I heard your mother scream, I was so far away, but I turned around and flew back as quickly as I could.  But when I got there, she was laying on the ground and a man and woman were hovering over her.  I went mad, thinking they had killed her. “As I was coming closer, the man spent his last conscious breath telling the wife to run to safety.  She didn’t want to go, but she listened to him, running into the woods and back to the village.  I didn’t know who she was, and the man was never able to tell us her name.  I just saw a glimpse of her before she ran.”

“Didn’t you find out when you returned his body?  Wouldn’t the villagers have known who he was?” Eli asked.

“We buried him here, in the family cemetery.  Son, he saved your mother’s life and yours.  We had been trying so long to have a child and before I even knew you were conceived, we almost lost you.  I almost lost you both.  I buried that man with the honor he deserved.”

“Did you invite his widow to the ceremony?”

Silas let out a deep sigh.

“I know you think I’m a monster, but you have to consider the villagers and their fear.  They’ve always feared us, even though we’ve maintained a treaty together for most of my life.  Their leader is superstitious and uses their fear against them.  That’s how he controls them.”

“And you fed into that,” Eli said.

“I let it go.  I don’t concern myself with human issues.  They nearly destroyed us along with themselves.  As long as they aren’t affecting our lives, I let them do what they will.  It’s the best way.  We were heavily involved in human life before the Great War and it was almost the end of us.”

“There had to be more to this story.  I still don’t see the fear.”

“Spring Festival wasn’t long after the man died, and your mother was finally feeling better.  I decided to cheer her up with a new gift, going to Festival alone in hopes of finding the perfect gift to cheer her up.”

“I was heartbroken that man had died because of my foolishness,” Lauren interjected.  “If I hadn’t been angry and playing around beside the river, he wouldn’t have died.”

“But you didn’t know that you wouldn’t be able to shift and save yourself,” Silas offered with a tender look at his wife.

“I suspected I was, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.  When I hit the water, I tried to shift and nothing happened.  I was destroyed.  I thought, here I was, finally pregnant and I was going to die before meeting you.”

“She was so despondent,” Silas confirmed.  “I went to Festival, and I went right to the booth with her favorite dresses.  And around the corner came the woman from the river.  When she saw me, I recognized her immediately, I expected her to break down, or to hide in fear.  I was not prepared for what happened.  She flew into a rage, screaming at me that I had taken her John, demanding to know where he was.“I told her that he had died and she got angrier.  She attacked me, punching me and screaming at me.  The villagers had to pry her off and they took her back to her home then, still in full-blown hysterics.”