5 – The Wounded Dragon and the Child
“…It’s strange.”
As I wiped the dirt and grime off his body, the boy’s face became even more radiant,
And the dragon smiled.
The laugh that could never be heard since he was born for some reason, was coming out so readily in front of this child.
In front of a human child, that is.
Even the knights who had sworn to hunt him down,
And even those who called themselves the evil dragon,
They were all humans too.
Was it because the child, who despite trembling from the cold, stubbornly tried to drag his injured body with his small frame, was brave,
Or was it because his innocent face looked so pure, as if he didn’t know anything,
Or was it because the despair ingrained in the eyes of a child who had been waiting to freeze to death surrounded by the snowy mountains was all too familiar.
The abandoned dragon, just born into the world,
And the child who had been abandoned by his parents, relying only on his grandparents.
In her eyes, the two didn’t look that different.
“It hasn’t even been a day since you started calling me mom.”
With a book about humans in one hand,
She gently stroked the soft hair of the child.
Thinking about the child’s efforts to write her own name and ‘Mom’ while stuttering,
She patted the child who had fallen asleep beside her in each of the rooms I gave her.
“Were you as lonely as I was, human child?”
The humans she had killed to survive had attracted more humans,
And the fire she had screamed to survive became a name.
A red fire that swallowed the forest.
A dragon that melted and killed countless knights, and took people’s homes.
But she did not casually mention that name,
Nor did she acknowledge it.
The truth that she revealed to the child.
The name the child wrote with their small hands.
She believed that it symbolized only herself.
“Ugh… Mom… heh…”
The words the small life had spoken still echoed in her ears.
The words that said she was more beautiful and kind than anyone else had left a deep mark on her heart.
But at the same time, it caused a slight fear.
Even though it had only been a short time since they met, she could smile.
Even though it had only been a short time since they met, she had already grown so attached.
To the point where she unconsciously wrapped her tail around the child.
The book had written that human children’s hands are very soft and fragile.
But the hand stroking her tail now had rough, calloused skin.
The image of her picking up a stone in a familiar manner.
Imagining how difficult life must have been with just her grandparents, who were the only family she had, was not a difficult task.
And,
How much this young child yearned for affection as well.
She had given love to such a child.
She had become a presence that fit the word ‘family’.
Although it was unfamiliar, the child smiled brightly at her.
Even though it was only one day, the time spent together felt quite long.
Because of that, I was afraid.
If this child were to know about me,
If they were to know about the side of me that I denied –
“…What does that have to do with anything?”
The hand that was about to turn the page stopped,
And the tail that was wagging stopped.
Her face was full of confusion.
“It’s just granting one wish of a human child,
It’s just repaying a debt with my life,
If you don’t want that, then it will end there…”
Even though I said it to myself, the tangled thoughts in my heart didn’t easily unravel.
Even though she was surrounded by moving furniture that was created in intense loneliness, she still searched for the answer.
Of course, being an intelligent dragon, it didn’t take long to find the answer –
“I can’t believe it, can I?”
It seemed like it would take some time to admit that.
***
“Wow – !”
If I was going to cut off the affection, I wanted to do it all at once.
But for some reason, the child’s eyes were shining brighter than ever.
“Such a strange child.”
Despite the shaking space and the accompanying voice,
The child’s reverential gaze did not show signs of disappearing.
“Is Mommy really a dragon?”
“I told you from the beginning.
From Noble mtl dot com
Could it be that you don’t believe it?”
For some reason, in front of the child, I found myself speaking softly.
The answer could easily be found in the child’s smile.
“No! Mommy has horns and a tail,
And she flew in the sky.”
“But I didn’t know it was such a huge dragon!”
Standing by the window, feeling the dragon’s breath on her entire body,
She looked proudly at her body, which wriggled without knowing what to do –
“Poof.”
In an instant, she transformed into a human, sitting by the window with a smile.
The cheers of the child followed as a bonus.
“How did you do that? It’s so big… Oh well, still impressive.”
She stroked the head of the ‘son’ who seemed to have a crow’s foot,
And lightly placed her hand on his back as she spoke.
“If you eat well and sleep well, you’ll grow up quickly.
You eat well. You sleep well,
You’ll grow up quickly.”
“But can I grow as big as Mom… I’m still this small, you know?”
The image of a thin and skinny child, barely reaching his belly button even when he lifted his foot.
As if her own childhood self was coming to mind, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“That’s why you should eat. Come on, follow me?”
“Yes!”
There was no moment as happy for her as putting something delicious in her mouth.
Because there were so many moments of suffering from having nothing to eat.
And having someone by her side to appreciate that joy,
It was a new and joyful experience for her.
Enough to forget all the worries she had before.
“Oh, right. Mom, is your back okay?”
The hand that had been on her back all this time was bothering her,
The child looked up and looked at her.
With twinkling grey eyes, and the remaining night-colored hair fluttering over the forehead.
“Your back – oh.
You remembered. I had forgotten for a moment.”
Thinking of the ropes, the window, and the arrow piercing her back, she frowned for a moment,
And as she lightly touched the wound, she couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Uh?”
Whether it was because Russell discovered it early and helped pull it out, or because his mood improved and his body condition became excellent.
In the places where there should have been pain, only the soft touch of skin remained.
“Just, just wait a moment – no, follow me. It’s not good to be alone in this corridor…”
So, holding onto that small hand, they hurriedly went into the room and untied the dress that was draped over their back to check.
In the mirror that clearly reflected their own image, there was nothing.
Only the smooth skin of a human woman was radiating a glow.
Even the tail that the child had been holding showed a glossy sheen.
Without any special care.
“…It can’t be.”
She had never been in normal condition after going through countless battles.
Always thinking that she might die,
evading humans who sought revenge for the things she wanted to survive,
she didn’t even have time to take care of her own body properly.
Of course, recently she had created a mansion and golems, gaining some leisure –
Yet still, moments when she felt comfortable in her own skin were rare.
What made Rosaria comfortable was neither the majestic sight of the dragon,
nor the voices filled with fear from countless lives, nor the dark gaze,
nor the hiding place where she could live without worries.
“Wow, Mom’s wounds heal quickly, huh?”
Just a small human boy who looks at Drakaea Rosaria just as she is.
A small life that might have been trapped in the solitude of the mountains and waited to die.
It was looking at her with eyes that could disappear with a breath of fire.
Not as a dragon wielding fire and destruction,
but as a family.
As a mother.
As someone she could rely on.
“…That’s right?”
“That would be nice. I had a nosebleed once and got scolded by Grandma for not stopping it.”
“Hon na?”
“Yes, I got scolded for being unnecessarily weak. They said that as an old person, they can’t take care of themselves and keep getting injured.”
The child’s condition was not good.
That piercing gaze that appeared the moment we met.
Those eyes that were just like myself in my youth, when I thought about starving for days and even considering death.
“Even though they took care of everything…
I wonder how it would have been if I were a little stronger.
Like mom.
Would Grandma have been a little more comfortable?
Would I not have had to stand in front of the fireplace to keep warm?”
In the end, leaving the frozen protector behind,
carrying tattered clothes that were almost too valuable to call clothes, and some wilted vegetables,
where was the child trying to go?
“No, there’s no need for that.”
That’s why the dragon protected the child.
Because it felt like looking at wounds that were too similar.
Because it was so pitiful to see the child who grew up without any warmth, only complaining about their wounds.
Because there was a sense of discomfort as if looking back at the battlefield they had once walked on.
“It’s natural for a child to be weak.
One day, when you grow up, you will become strong like a knight,
and have a body as tough as armor.
Like the warriors in the northern lands who endure the cold,
like the white sorcerers who banish the darkness,
you will become wise and brave.
But not now.
Now, you don’t need to be strong,
you don’t need a reason to be tough.
So don’t blame yourself.
“There is nothing wrong with you.”
The words I wanted to hear.
Leaving behind only one sorrowful bone,
I constantly blamed and resented my parents, who had disappeared somewhere.
To someone who couldn’t receive that,
To a child who desperately wanted it –
“Ah, uh, uh…”
Burying the cries hotter than the fire in my palm,
Swelling up a body hotter than a charcoal briquette,
She was able to embrace Russell like that.
Feeling a single tear that had grown cold believing it had cooled down,
As it flowed, heating up her cheeks.
She will turn him into a muscular knight to “harvest” later 💀