It was a cold and harsh night. The wind howled against the castle walls, the snow fighting its way through the windows, the stone walls and the empty halls of this once, dark structure, who hid herself in the depths of the mountains. The valley below moaned, as the pine trees clang to their roots, the small river, now frozen, finding its way beneath the earth, and the animals, both big and small, seeking for shelter amongst the holes and caverns who dotted the land. The packs of white wolves hid in their lair, for this storm was like any other. Only the monsters roamed the land, always eager for a prey to kill.
And yet… this was the right place.
Secluded, empty, forgotten amongst the world.
Already had I found many a bookshelves filled with precious literature, books that, certainly, would not find their way back to civilization again, had I not tracked this place.
The question hung at me, whether to spend sometime reading it all by myself, or bringing them back to the nearest monastery or city, so they could be copied and preserved for future generations.
Not that bringing them back would have much of value for their security… For this was an age of strife and peril, chaos and death, and many a knowledge had been lost to war, pestilence, or whatever horrors besieging the civilized races in this accursed land.
There were many a treasure too.
Rooms filled with ancient gold coins, weapons both old and new, chalices, plates, earrings… all beautiful in their glitter, albeit shadowed by the dust and time. But that did not attract me at all.
As I opened a somewhat larger wooden door, though, I was greeted by a sight I had not expected…
"Who dares disturb my slumber?" The feminine voice called out, echoing through the somewhat luxurious chamber.
She did not turn herself immediately, but her tail rhythmically thumped against the cold stone floor. Nothing could breach her sanctum without her knowing, but somehow, today, she had missed the thing. I could sense so by the way her voice had rung.
A gust of frigid and stale air came out of the chamber, mingled with the cold wind of the outside. As the scent of pine trees and snowflakes filled her nostrils, the smell of her unwanted visitor picked her curiosity, as she rolled like a cat in her bedsheets, finally having her purple eyes piercing me.
Her eyes narrowed as they fell upon me standing near the doorway.
A human? Here? She thought.
"G-greetings." I stumbled upon my words slightly, as I knightly bowed before her.
No doubt, the woman standing before me was no mere woman at all.
Her dark hair, long and dishevelled, almost reached the floor. Her dark dress clung to her body, elegant and yet simple, comfortable even, as its golden details shone alongside a pink jewel in the center of her chest. Golden earrings, pink colored eyes, and a glossy, white skin the certainly wasn´t human in nature… alongside the tail which hid behind her.
I was too much of an amateur to call myself a mage, but I could clearly see the powerful aura emanating from her… dark, purple tendrils found their way out of her figure, like a mist covering her from view. It sights, its feeling… it was almost too much to bear, too much too handle. What have I gotten myself in to?
"My name is Alaric. I´m a wandering knight." I said, trying to sound as firm as possible.
"Alaric." She repeated, and it sent shivers down my spine.
It was almost as if she was tasting it, savouring it. She could not bother herself remembering the names of those who she met in the past, specially humans. Their names were usually too boring, and filled with strange syllables, she did not even try to pronouncing them before, finding it better to simply kill the human, rather than waste her time speaking in their tongue. This one seemed to had catch her attention.
As the woman smirked, she found her way out of the bedsheets, leisurely taking a few steps forward. As she approached me, the heavy weight of her aura bore into my soul.
"A wandering knight you say?" She tilted her head, as she spoke. Her violet gaze bore into me.
Damn it, I got her attention. I thought. By this time my mind was already planning on how to best leave this place, for I had encountered something far beyond my powers to manage. Think, Alaric, think! How to best flee from this monster?!
"And what brings you here, Alaric? To my humble abode?" She purred, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
I gulped, sensing her amusement at my discomfort. Her tail thumped against the ground excitedly behind her.
"I was just… exploring this old castle. I thought it would be a great refuge from the snowstorm outside." I said, as I lifted myself up from my knees.
I tried to look head on to her gaze, but certainly she must have noticed how arduous it was for me to keep it. Fear, nausea, the bitter sting of death in my mouth… feelings which I never fought before, in such an intense way took hold of my body, that I thought I could certainly pass out at any moment.
How can a creature have so strong an aura? I asked myself. What is she? A goddess? A dragon? I thought, because of her tail. Or maybe an ancient witch or eldritch being? Anyway, I messed up, big time! How could I have not thought that such a forgotten place would have a powerful being protecting it? I bit my lips, trying to hold myself up.
"Pardon me for entering your home without consent. I did not expect anyone to be living here." I said, resting my hand on my chest, both to appear frank and to hold my beating heart from exploding.
She chuckled softly at my response, and I could not help but shiver again, a sound like thunder echoing through the hallway behind me.
"Living?" She echoed, raising an eyebrow. "No one lives here, boy." She stepped closer still, too close.
What did she meant by that?
"You are right about one thing though. This isn´t exactly… welcoming." She leaned in, whispering, as her breath tickled my ear. Then, as swiftly as she had moved forward, she pulled back, the oppressive aura, and her warmth. It made me feel the cold wind against my skin more vividly.
"Tell you what, Alaric. Since you´ve stumbled upon my little sanctuary, how about we play a game?" She asked, grinning wickedly, her eyes gleaming with mischief. Her tail swished behind her, flickers of violet magic dancing along its length. Only now I realised it was made entirely with mana.
"A game, you say?" I said.
This isn´t going to end well for me. I thought. She is playing with me, that I can tell. Like a predator circling its prey. Should I draw my sword, or cast any magic? No, she certainly would notice and react before I even had the chance. I can sense how strong she is… and she certainly already knows how 'strong' I am, by that look of hers.
I let out a long sigh, resolve filling me up back again. It´s not like I could do anything else, could I? Already deep into her lair, I would certainly not escape from her grasp without her consent. In fact, I should be thankful she didn´t kill me on the spot. I thought. Now let´s just hope she isn´t the type to toy with her prey and then mercilessly torture me or worse.
"Surely, fair lady. What game do you wish to play?" I asked, trying to play it safely. The words felt heavy in my mouth, as my body screamed for me to flee this place as soon as possible.
Better to satisfy her for now, and get more information. I thought, taking control of my mind. I´m still not confident enough to make a move.
"A wise choice." She purred, clapping her hands together like an excited child. "Most humans are so… boring, and quick to anger. But you… You are different."
Her gaze locked into me, as if searching for any hint of deceit. Clearly satisfied with what she saw, she smiled.
"I´m glad to see reason hasn't entirely abandoned your kind." She stepped closer, too close, her nose almost touching mine. Her scent filled me – the smell of spices, honey, something wild and untamed – something that I should have avoided as much as possible. How could she smell like that?
"Now, about this game…" She leaned in, her lips brushing my ear. "Let´s call it Truth or Dare, Alaric. But there will only ever be one option: Truth."
I could barely hold myself standing. Those same lips that whispered these soft words could as well as turn into fangs ready to strike at my flesh. I could imagine her biting my neck out on one fell strike, if she wanted to.
"Surely, my lady." I said, but the words sounded more weakly than I intended.
Damn it! Damn it! I cursed myself for this entire situation. How can my body be so weak and feeble against such terror? I gritted my teeth. She is… toying with me. I can´t stand being so weak like this. But if this is what is going to get me alive out of here, I have no choice...
"Good." She breathed, stepping back with a satisfied smirk. "And don´t worry, little knight. I won´t hurt you… yet."
These words made me relax a bit, albeit I was still on edge.
Her tail thumped behind her, the leaking tendrils of purple magic finding their way to my feet.
"So, Alaric," She began, circling around me like a predator. "What is your greatest fear?" She asked.
I gulped. What a thing to ask! I thought.
As she circled me, I couldn't stop thinking of how she could use this information to her advantage.
If I told her my greatest fear, would she make me suffer it? I thought. It´s not like I have a particular fear… It´s not like I have a fear at all, besides this dreaded feeling of death, the shivering of limbs, the adrenaline of conflict… I was once afraid of heights, as a child. Does that count? No, certainly not. But I think… yes, I´m truly fearless, so to say. I do feel fear, but I do not have a fear at all.
Making up my mind, I hesitated before speaking. "As I knight, I have no fear at all." I said. "Although I do feel it in times of trouble, I've not a particular fear, if that´s what you are asking." I explained it to her, albeit I barely could hold my legs from shaking.
Now let´s just see if she is buying it. I thought.
She stopped mid-stride and frowned, clearly displeased with my answer. Her tail slammed against the ground, sending shock waves through the stone beneath.
"That´s… quite disappointing." She sighed dramatically, running a hand through her long hair. "But, oh, well."
Damn it! I snapped. Messed up again!
She began pacing again, her heels clicking sharply on the cold floor. "Then tell me something else," She demanded after a moment´s pause. "What bring you here?" She asked.
Her gaze feel upon me again. This time, however, she appeared less amused… and more calculating.
"You are far from your lands, Alaric. Why?" She asked.
"I was searching for this specific castle." I said. "This old fortress was but a bulwark of the Empire of old in the north. Reading the chronicles, I managed to pin point its location, and thought something of value could still be here, or, at least, I could see the sight of this mighty fortress." I say.
Should I play games with her? Should I lie and try to be more interesting? No, that´s not my style. I thought. I should tell the truth, if only to preserve my knightly ideals. No matter what she does to me, at least I will have my honour intact.
"But you can rest assured I wish no harm to you, fair lady. And of the things this castle have, I´m more interested in the books." I say.
"Books, you say?" She said, circling me around again. "What about this, little knight?"
She gestured for the bookshelves lining her room.
"I have a grand archive, don´t you see? I could certainly lend you some of these for you to read, in exchange for a little something, of course." She licked her lips.
This human is most interesting. She thought.
"A-and what would that be?" I asked, my voice still failing a bit, despite my will to preserve it.
This is my out! Yes! She looks like she is willing to let me go. I thought, as I felt the tension leaving my body. The hope that I could get out of this situation gave me such a joy that I started smiling at her.
She stopped, and raised her finger towards me.
"Be my archivist. My personal librarian." She demanded. "A mighty dragoness like me would do well to have a servant like you." She added wickedly.
Such a valuable human shouldn't be wasted. He will make for a perfect companion… and, oh, well, he looks kinda cute. She thought.
"Allright." I knightly bowed.
What am I doing? What am I doing? I thought. Damn, I thought she was going to let me leave!
"I can certainly be your librarian, lady…" I stopped, waiting for her to state her name.
Aaaaahh! What am I doing? Already treating her like some sort of princess? I thought. She is a dragon, Alaric! You are a knight! You are supposed to be fighting dragons, not joining them!
"Hmph! Foolish human! I am the Fire of the North, the almighty Ione." She replied, puffing out her chest.
"Lady Ione, then?" I said.
She let out a radiant smile, grinning from cheek to cheek.
"Nice to meet you, my sir Alaric." She said, bringing her finger to her lips, in a coy pout. "I´m sure we will get along pretty well."
As she looked at me as if she had won a great prize, I couldn't help but gulp. This whole situation was a disaster, and although I was relieved that she didn't seem bent on taking my life, I couldn't stop the feeling that the struggle for my freedom had only started.
And so, my life with the Fire of the North, began.