She was the daughter of the Westearian clan, the wardens of the western forest. Though the territory had been on the border of two powerful nations, her clan remained independent of national ties and was respected by both governments. Neither nation moved into that territory without the permission of her people. And she was the next leader of the clan, she would not fail to rid her forest of the bandits that now infested it.

Normally they wouldn’t have been a consideration at all, but these bandits had some sort of cult backing them. Evil priests from this cult brought poison to the land and kept their allies from being expelled by the power the druids were able to conjure. A full-frontal attack would leave the clan decimated. She needed to find another way.

They needed help. Powerful help. Beyond what they could offer to some group of mercenaries. Even the most capable military groups would be putting their lives at risk, and with the dark priests’ magics success was not guaranteed. No. She needed to find an ally that could give a swift total victory. For that kind of help, there was only one person that she could go to. The Dragon of Caldron Lake.

It was hard to find, but she managed to do it. She had learned to read the signs that nature provided and talked to the creatures who saw and listened to the trees who knew. It took her a couple of weeks to track down the right ones to ask. The elder oak had told her to find the white elk to ask for directions. And now she was standing in front of Caldron Lake, with only a vague idea of how to get into the lair.

The nearby trees confirmed that the Dragon emerged from the lake, but could offer no other insights. There was nothing else to do but try to explore the lake itself. Kit maneuvered around the lake, making sure that she would have enough time to react if the Dragon decided that she was an intruder. In that case her only hope would be to plead before she was incinerated. But she made it to the base of the mountain, where the slopes met the lake. As she dove, she took the form of a catfish and began using her new form’s sense to probe the murky depths. Thankfully, before too long she found an entrance to an underwater cave and swam deeper under the mountain. But before she could break the surface, she lost the shape of the fish. Now she was blind, in an underwater cave. With barely a breath left. She swam in the direction that she had been going and hoped that she would see light or feel an opening. It wasn’t long before she felt a convulsion in her chest. Then everything started to feel numb. But somehow, she could feel movement, and then a pressure on her chest that forced her to cough. As she inhaled air instead of water, she realized she was in a cavern lit by a hearth and torches.

The dragon sat in his enclave; his bulk hidden in the shadows. But she could see his head and forelegs in the firelight. To him, it was probably his chosen cozy seat. An open oversized book sat on a pedestal where he could easily see the print in the light. She read a firm yet sympathetic expression on his face. She would be able to convince him, somehow. She had to.

She got up as gracefully as she could manage (her breathing being ragged and her clothes sopping wet) and gave her best approximation of a curtsy. The Dragon turned a page. “You needn’t do that, child of the Westearian.”

She rose trying to appear respectful but not apologetic or servile.

“My name is Kit Westearian, what may I call you?”

“The word Dragon is sufficient. I am the only Dragon here, so it’s clear who you are speaking to. Any other honorifics that you may try to add on to that would be quite superfluous.”

“Very well, Dragon.” Again, trying not to look too intimidated. “I’ve come to ask for your help on behalf of the Westearian Druids.”

“Do you have something suitable to give in exchange for my aid?”

“We have no gold or jewels, but we have knowledge.”

“Oh. Do you now.?”

“Secret knowledge of herbs and poisons, a village’s worth of secret family recipes for everything from medicines to baked goods.”

“Before you go much farther, remember my age and the fact that I have dwelt in this land a very long time. Those volumes over there contain the bulk of what you are now trying to offer me.” He said pointing to a recess full of enormous tomes.

Kit paused. “I’m sure that there is something that we can offer. Perhaps we could offer you the spoils that these bandits have plundered from our forest.”

“Many things can be offered, less can serve as payment. If I slew these bandits, I would rightfully take that plunder for myself anyway, as the spoils of combat. But I’m sure that the Westearian clan has some knowledge that they would normally consider too precious to part with. Such knowledge would be safe in the keeping of a Dragon.”

The secret of the Westearian clan was priceless. The Dragon would not be quick to divulge it. It was the first thing that he had shown interest in. He would agree to help them if she offered this, but that would be the same as asking the Dragon to guard the knowledge instead of them. A shirking of their duty. If they gave it up now, they would do it again if another crisis arose. And if the Dragon was contracted to guard their secret forever, he might even demand payment for as long as he guarded the secret.

Kit spoke calmly, as she let the prospect of her people’s sure survival pass through her hands. “No. I’m afraid that is impossible” …..

 

“Please, can you help us?” She pleaded, hoping to appeal to the Dragon’s graciousness.

“I Can, but that doesn’t mean that I should.”

“Why would you say that? These men are evil, and my people are innocent. Why wouldn’t you help them?”

“Consider this. If a dragon comes into a territory, we have requirements like all living things. Food, sustenance, even purpose. A dragon may choose selfishness or beneficence. If we choose beneficence, we still need to be careful. A dragon could move into a territory, and slay (or ‘defeat’ if you find that term kinder) any bandits or warlords that were there. If a dragon merely does this then they become predictable, and then the people become dependent. The dragon will then be exploited and killed, and the people who haven’t learned to fend for themselves die later. We Dragons do not simply take treasures for our fancies. The act has meaning. It is the way that we Dragons record our deeds and for other beings to take an active role in their own defense. The act of paying is as much for others as it is for us.” The dragon paused and regarded her. “The act of finding this lair and coming before me is not enough to warrant my intervention.”

Kit had to think now. She knew that some villages offered up their service to dragons for security. This Dragon may accept such an offer, but then she thought about what the Dragon had said. If she offered that carelessly, her people could be beholden to the Dragon forever. They would always require the Dragon to protect them. And then what would happen if the Dragon was defeated or had to move away? They would be left defenseless. And even if the Dragon was beneficent enough to allow them to work toward their independence, she could not predict how the blow to her people’s pride would affect them. She had faith that they could rise above this moment of despair. However, she also knew that it was not her place to bring another test to her clan. It was her job to do what she could to defend them and get them through this adversity.

“In that case, I offer my service. I have the authority to offer their service but not the right. But I can pay for your service with mine.”

“Hmm, the service of the Westearian clan would be valuable. While I do value knowledge, almost as much as gold and jewels, honorable service is also acceptable. My service is worth gold, it stands to reason that yours would be too. Though perhaps not it is not worth as much as you would like to believe. You are asking an ancient being, many times stronger than yourself, to kill a flock of your foes. Imagine if I was an army that you were asking for aid, and you were offering your ‘service’. How long do you think that indenture agreement would be for.”

She thought about that for a moment. Then she looked up at the dragon. Like she would look at someone in the marketplace. As an equal. She would need to be careful here. Everything that she said from this moment on would have consequences. The Dragon would only take what she offered. But she needed to offer honestly. If she was going to try cheap dealing here, she should’ve just tried her luck with some mercenary guild.

She could make some grandiose offer of a lifetime of her service. It could very well come to that. But she was not about to make this Dragon her defacto god. Then she thought about what she was asking the Dragon to do, exactly. She wanted the Dragon to save her people, but she was asking him to kill a horde of bandits. Mercenaries and assassins charged large sums for killing. On the other hand, the Westearian Druids knew how much harder it was to preserve a life. That was a task that never ended. No. She needed to ask the dragon to excise this ‘tumor’ in the forest with a fiery scalpel. Once and for all. Even if it cost her the chance to lead her people. What she had been training for all her life.

At least I will act as a leader should in this crisis. She then tabulated the weight of the bandits’ lives and the lives of her clan. “If you defeat these bandits before they can harm my people, I offer a month of honorable service for each bandit slain.”

The dragon regarded for a moment. “Done. And fairly well bargained. Though, I do think that I still have the better end of this deal.”