[fic] Dragon and the Hero's Quest - Chapter Two
Chapter Two
In Which Dragon Comes to a Conclusion
Dragon traveled to every creature that would speak to him (not many, in truth), but none could tell him where Phoenix lived. It was frustrating and worrying for him, and he was so distraught that when he finally gave up on being able to find his friend, he could not find it in himself to depart his cave.
“Unicorn has been whining more than usual,” Coyote announced one day as he walked into Dragon’s lair, not long after Dragon had given up. “He is claiming that you have abandoned him.”
“I do not care,” said Dragon, “for I am in the midst of deep grief. Phoenix is no where to be found and I do not know where he lives.”
Coyote settled himself comfortably upon one of the piles of Dragon’s hoard. “Still dwelling upon his non-appearance? I do not see why you would bother. Phoenix will appear when he appears. And honestly, ‘deep grief’?” Coyote snorted. “ It is not like he is dead. I think this spending less time with Unicorn is a good thing - you have picked up enough of his poor habits as is.”
“I am quite serious, Coyote,” Dragon said, wounded. “He could be dead! And who would know? He has no visitors.”
“You are still overreacting,” Coyote said. “It is not well known, but he does this on occasion. And then he returns, same as ever. You are wasting your time, my friend.”
“I have known him a long time, and he has never done anything like that in my memory. I know you have not known him for much longer than I,” Dragon said, stubborn. “Coyote, please do not make small of my fears. I worry, and there is nothing I can think of that could reassure me.”
Coyote studied him for a moment.
“I doubt there is absolutely no one who does not know where he lives,” Coyote said finally. “At the very least, there would be rumors of him near his domain. After all, you are spoken of at great distances from your lair, and Phoenix stands out more than you do.”
“That is true,” Dragon said slowly. “But I have heard nothing. Wouldn't I have heard something?”
“Perhaps you are asking the wrong sorts of creatures,” Coyote said. “In the meantime, though, I shall inform Unicorn that you have not moved on to Cockatrice, merely that you have bored of his insufferable presence.”
“Coyote,” Dragon said sternly, “please do no aggravate Unicorn so. He is always very difficult to speak with when you have been lying to him. I thank you, though, for your advice. It has brought me some comfort.”
“I am happy to have cheered you,” Coyote said. “So please do not mind that I will ignore your advice, and will now be on my way.”
And Dragon sighed as Coyote departed. He did not bother to follow.
Still, Dragon had been given another idea as to go about finding his missing friend. He would start with the humans, the humans whose stories came from much longer distances and could sometimes be more correct than any creature gossip. And he would ask them, as soon as his eyes adjusted to the daylight glare and he could fly.
-
“Dragon! Dragon!”
Once, those words would have spoken been with fear, and he would have already been keeping an eye out for arrows. There would have been much screaming and scrambling of people towards the woods, where he could not fly. Those days were gone, however, and the only screaming being done was by a young girl, and rather than running away from him, she was running towards him. Every one else had simply looked over at him and then went about their business.
“Agatha!” Dragon said happily as he landed. She stopped a few paces before him and beamed.
“Are you hungry?” she said. “You did not come for your last feeding day, and we were worried. The elders were speaking of going to see you if you did not show up today.”
“Oh, I am sorry to have made you worried,” Dragon said. “I was simply concerned about a friend of mine whom I could not find. I had not even realized I missed my last feeding day. Has your village been well? Only, I have not been doing my duty to you on my account of my worry, and I hope no one has suffered for it.”
“We have been well,” Agatha said. “Do not worry for us. No one has bothered us since you made it clear you guarded our homes. But, come now, I will lead you to your food.”
Dragon nodded, suddenly famished.
The pair walked through the big road that ran through the center of the village. Some smiled and nodded at them, while a few, generally the older people, would hurry on their way or give him black looks. That always made Dragon feel guilty.
“What has worried you, that you could not even come to feed?” Agatha asked him as they walked. “If it is something you may speak of, that is.”
“I may, and came today to see if you could possibly help me,” Dragon said. “I had forgotten again that it was a feeding day.”
Agatha looked surprised at that. “It must be a great worry, to have made you so forgetful.”
“It is,” he said. “My friend, Phoenix , did not appear at a gathering we creatures recently had. This has never happened before, and I wished to speak with him about it. Only, I do not know where he lives, as do no other creatures I could find to ask.”
“Oh dear,” Agatha said. “Are you close to Phoenix?”
“I had considered myself so, yes,” Dragon said sadly. “But now, I am not so sure. Agatha, do your people have any stories of Phoenix ? Anything that can help me in finding my friend?”
“I do not know of any stories,” she said, “but I have never bothered with tales and their like. So while you eat, my dear, I will ask about.”
“Thank you,” Dragon said gratefully. Agatha patted one his arms.
They soon came to a field just on the edge of the other side of the town, where a small feast was laid out for Dragon. Agatha left him then with a promise that she would return as soon as she could, and Dragon thanked her again, hoping that someone in the village had heard of Phoenix . And so he ate, and waited, and hoped.
And worried.
What would he do if Agatha did find some story for him? Dragon got lost visiting Unicorn sometimes, and Unicorn did not live that far from him. Maybe he could bring someone with him? Dragon pondered this as he ate.
The sun was beginning to set when Agatha returned.
“Oh, Dragon, I come with good news,” she said, beaming. “I think I can be of help to you, after all!”
“Oh?” Dragon said, perking up. “There were stories, then?”
“Many stories!” Agatha said. “And they all agreed on one thing - Phoenix resides on the highest peak of the mountains just beyond the Sphinx.”
Dragon immediately deflated. “Oh dear.”
“Dragon?” Agatha asked, concerned.
“Sphinx lives far, far away,” Dragon said desolately. “And he is very private, and he does not like visitors. It is no wonder that Phoenix does not have friends come to visit.”
“Why are you giving up already?” Agatha demanded. “You are a mighty creature! Did you not tell me yourself that you are feared by many of your fellow creatures?”
“Yes,” said Dragon miserably. “But that is only because they are all rather foolish. It would not be hard to defeat me. I do not like fighting, much.”
“But you never had a problem with my people before,” Agatha replied, confused.
“That was different,” Dragon said. “That was food. And your people are not the best of fighters. Sphinx is a very scary creature.”
Agatha stomped her foot. “I cannot believe you! I think you simply being a coward, Dragon! If he is so important, is he not worth risking danger for? What sort of friend are you, that you would not seek him out when he couple possibly be in trouble?”
Dragon stared at her, on the verge of tears. “But I have never been so far from my home, Agatha. And what would I do for food?”
“I...” Agatha said, unsure now herself. “I was very small the first time you came to my village, and I remember being very scared. But I had an older sister, and she was not home with me where she should have been. She had been in the village, visiting a sick friend. But I was afraid for her! So I left my home, and went to look for her. And there you were, picking people out of the crowd, but I went forward and found her. By then you had left, and my sister called me foolish, but my father told me I had been a hero that day, for being so brave as to seek her out.
“And I've always remembered that,” Agatha said, looking at him earnestly now. “And I remember the day you took me, and how scared I was, and how miserable you were. I was so happy to not be eaten, and that you were happy not to have eaten me. And then you continued to save my village, and became a hero to me.
“But now...! Now you are giving up when you need to be most brave! You, who are bigger and faster and stronger! How dare you!” And in a severe anger, Agatha stomped up to Dragon and hit him in the side with all of her strength.
“Agatha!” Dragon said, recoiling from her blow.
“Will you be a hero, or are you just a coward?” she demanded of him.
“I...” said Dragon, head dropping. “I fear I am just a coward.”
She hit him again. “No! You are a kind and thoughtful Dragon who, though sometimes does things without thinking about the future, is always trying to do his best! Don't you want to be a hero? To save those you care for?”
“Yes,” Dragon said hesitatingly. “But heroing is for brave people. And I have already told you that I am not that person.”
“But don’t you want to be?” she pleaded. “This is your quest, Dragon!”
Dragon was silent.
“Would he not do the same for you?”
“Yes,” Dragon said.
“Then why cannot you not do this?” she said earnestly. “If you do not, you would be no better than the creatures that belittle you and fear you!”
Dragon looked at her, still unsure.
“I have heard many stories,” Agatha said, “of men who were unexpectedly pulled out of their lives, forced onto quests they did not think they could succeed at. But they went, because people were counting on them. Dragon, is not Phoenix counting on you? You have told me no other creature seems concerned for him! This is your quest, and you cannot possibly say no and still be the Dragon I know!”
Dragon looked at Agatha, and how earnest she was, and thought. It was true no other creature thought anything was at all wrong with Phoenix, and that no one would ever look for him. And what if he was dead? Could Dragon live with this uncertainty for the rest of his days? He looked at Agatha, at her earnest expression, and thought to himself that if such a fragile thing could be brave and come out the better for it, perhaps he could as well.
“You are right, my dear,” Dragon said finally. “I must go. And I shall! I am not quite sure of the exact way to Sphinx, however - did your stories say anything specific?”
“I am afraid not,” Agatha said. She wrung her hands. “Will this be a problem?”
“No,” said Dragon, thinking. “I will simply ask Unicorn. He knows where everyone lives.”
-
Unicorn looked at Dragon blankly. "Pardon?"
"I need to know how to find Sphinx," Dragon said patiently.
"But why? What possible business could you have with that heartless cretin?" Unicorn asked him, bemused.
"What business I have is personal, and nothing you would be interested in," Dragon said.
“I find myself quite interested in any business of yours that could end with you killed,” Unicorn said, frowning now. “I rather hope this has nothing to do with Phoenix .”
“It would not matter if it did,” Dragon said, turning his head away from his friend. “If you will not tell me, then I will take my leave and ask it of Coyote.”
“It is obvious you are lying now,” Unicorn replied. “Also, you do not know where Coyote lives either. In fact, the places you do know are so small as to be pitiful for a creature of your age. How is it you do not get lost upon leaving your lair?”
“It is not pitiful!” Dragon exclaimed. “I get by just fine.”
He refused to admit to the getting lost bit. To Unicorn, at any rate.
Unicorn heaved a very put upon sigh. “If you must know, Sphinx lives a very many days travel from here. You will enter many a creature's domain and I doubt any of them will welcome you. And then Sphinx will eat you. So you can forget about this foolish idea of yours and simply stay home.”
“Which direction?” Dragon asked.
Unicorn looked at him, flabbergasted. “I already said it is impossible!”
Dragon looked at him friend with his most pathetic expression. “You cannot stop me! If I must, I will simple travel until I collapse, or Coyote finds me.”
“You are utterly dramatic,” Unicorn said with a sniff. “If it means so much to you, fine! Go east! And when some creature kills you, or Sphinx eats you, remember - I told you so! I was my hooves of this manner entirely.” And Unicorn stomped back into his briar.
“I am not being dramatic,” Dragon said, offended. But he was drooping now. Which direction was east?!