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A Life Forever Changed (Chapter 1?)

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Sebastian had been traveling for two days and the weather had not been his friend. Finding cover under the boughs of large trees the during the rain storm the prior night had done little to shelter him from the wind and he feared he would freeze to death since, as he ascended the mountains, large plants became more and more scarce. He was frozen near to his core by the time twilight was upon him and the already cool temperatures was lowering quickly. Despite his horrible luck for the better part of a week, he finally felt that he had a change of pace when he saw a large cave just a short distance up the slope. Redoubling his efforts, the young man managed to pull himself up the rocky landscape before, with a groaning exhale, flopped down onto the stony floor, finally under cover.

He laid there for a handful of minutes, slowly recovering from his fatigue, but he felt the rock threatening to sap his body heart. Sitting up with great effort, the young man doffed his backpack, digging through it for a flint and steel to start a fire. He stopped only long enough to carefully remove a book, his greatest possession, and set it aside to keep any water from ruining it. He had just turned his attention back to his backpack when a booming voice caused his bones to vibrate with its power. "Who DARES enter my den? What trespasser values life so little that they toy with death incarnate?"

Sebastian jumped in surprise, his flint and steel falling out of his grasp as he turned to look deeper into the cave; an enormous form emerged from the blackness, dark, steel-colored scales gleaming every-so-faintly in the dusky light shining in from the cave entrance. The creature's voice was deeper than deep, and had a feral rumble to it. Drawing closer, he loomed over the young man. "Well? Speak up! You do not look like a knight, and you are hardly subtle enough to be a thief come for my treasurers. Out with it. Identify yourself before I proclaim you a foe..." The large, scaled head drew even closer as it turned to the side so the enormous reptile could peer at him out of a single eye. "Speak, Human. You would NOT want to be declared my foe."

Whimpering as he gazed up at the enormous reptile, he barely managed to whimper out his name. "S-Sebastian... great one."

The young man honestly didn't know where the honorific came from; in all of the stories he had read the dragons were always venerated and, although Sebastian had never seen one, he had little doubt that was what he faced.

The dragon, if it was indeed one, drew back just a little-- enough to keep the Human from fainting, but he could still feel his heart threatening to jump up into his throat. What happened next would have made the Human laugh were he not so afraid. "What, pray tell, human, is a Sebastian?"

Sebastian squeaked meekly. "I... I am... that's my name... my Lord."

Unless he was mistaken, the Human saw a faint quirk from the dragon's eye ridge at being called a Lord. Although the gigantic predator made no move to attack and, in fact, by all measure seemed relatively calm, the young man was still on his guard. The Dragon's calm words, however, were unexpected. "What are you doing in my den... Sebastian?"

The Human realized that his next words could likely guide any future possibility of him surviving. "It... it was a mistake, my Lord. If I had known it was YOUR den I would never have--"

The Dragon's booming voice silenced him. "My markings were on stone and tree for leagues. Just because you do not understand them does not excuse your trespass... but I did not ask for EXCUSES... I asked why you are here!"

Cowering beneath the authoritative tone, Sebastian prostrated himself before the enormous creature. "F-forgive me... great one... I... I sought shelter from the storm."

The Dragon's tone was inquisitive. "Storm?"

The Human kept his face toward the ground; if he was going to be snatched up and eaten he wasn't sure that he wanted to see it coming. "The wind and rain outside, my Lord. We Humans.. we are not as hardy as you... we cannot withstand the elements as well... and so I sought a place to hide from it and dry out."

The dragon was silent for a short time, eventually speaking again, but his voice was no longer as loud, but no-less authoritative. "I have no need to have a Human wandering around my lair... for what reason should I allow you to stay?"

The fact that the Dragon seemed to be more focused on whether Sebastian was there or not rather than whether he was DINNER or not gave the young man a spark of hope. The fact that his 'host' wasn't specifically kicking him out helped spark that hope, and the young man quickly provided an answer. "I... can cook, my Lord. I know of herbs. I may not be a master of any skills, but I have many. I... I would... do whatever you'd have of me, Great One."

His words got a snort in response, and the Dragon shifted his huge bulk, retreating back into the darkness. "You know how to speak with suitable reverence... that is far more than I would expect of a Human... Sebastian. Perhaps I will provide you a chance to prove your worth."

Ever so slowly straightening up, Sebastian faced the darkness within the cavern, remaining on his knees. "What would you have me--?"

His question was interrupted when the back half of a deer sailed through the air and landed on the cave floor two feet from him with a fleshy thud; it appeared to have been torn in half by tooth or claw. The Dragon's voice rumbled from out of the darkness. "You said you can cook? It has been over a century since I last had prepared meat. Consider yourself fortunate: I will give you a chance to impress me."

Sitting even straighter, Sebastian took in a surprised breath, his heart skipping a beat. "Really? Oh, Great One, I promise I--"

The Dragon interrupted him again. "I am not easily impressed."

Acknowledging the challenge for what he knew it to be, Sebastian began gathering his belongings, unstrapping a large cast iron skillet from off of the back of his pack and then paused, looking at the handle of his chef's knife sticking out of its sheath. "I... I will need a knife to butcher the dear, my Lord... I... do not want you to misinterpret my tool use-- I promise you: it is not a weapon."

A deep-throated, bone-jarring, rumbling laugh shook the cave. "A knife? A short blade? That is no more a weapon to me than your feeble human claws. Use whatever you require, Sebastian... just know that my patience is near infinite, but my generosity has limits."

Accepting the subtle threat for what he knew it to be, Sebastian got to work, quickly setting up a fire circle and placing the pan on two large rocks. He knew he'd need a good fire going in order to provide a proper sear for the venison so he focused on getting a fire going to start warming the pan. He gathered up some tinder, but it was damp, and his sparks were not having much fortune catching it.

The Human let out a yelp of surprise and alarm, falling away from the fire circle as a thin, clean, precise line of fire flashed out of the darkness, lighting up the visage of a smirking dragon as the spray of heat was ejected from a single nostril, lighting the campfire without issue. Before Sebastian could say anything, the deep, rumbling voice said a word that almost sounded as though it carried with it a hint of humor with it. "Continue."

Sebastian wasted no time after that, quickly slicing three large steaks off of the deer flank along with a few patches of fat then brought them back to the fire. He made sure that the pan was heated evenly then tossed in the fat. He began to render it down, occasionally glancing toward the darkness; unless he was mistaken the giantic, shadowy figure was periodically drawing closer. Trying not to obsess about the proximity of the Dragon, Sebastian hesitantly tried to start up a conversation as he rendered down the fat. "Had things turned out differently I may have taken over the restaurant in my village after the inn owner retired, but I suppose none of us have control over our destiny, and fate has chosen a different path for me."

The Human half expected the Dragon to tell him off and order him quiet but, surprisingly, he got a response. "Fate is a fickle thing. Many believe that it is predetermined, but I believe that every being has the power to make their own path. From dragons such as myself, down to the lowliest Human. I can appreciate your hopes and dreams, little Human, but do not think for a moment that it will gain my sympathy. Know your place. You are here at my whim and that is all there is to it."

The young man quickly bowed his head in acknowledgement. "I understand, my Lord. Please forgive me if I am too wordy... I've been out in the wilderness for days with only myself as company. If my discussion displeases you I can... stop being so... ah... familiar."

The Dragon let out a sound which almost reminded Sebastian of a dull ribbit; was that a draconic 'ha'? "You may speak if you wish, but do not attempt to influence me with your words... your usefulness lays in your actions, Sebastian."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Sebastian focused on the food. He used a forked stick to ease the three large venison steaks into the pan, creating an immediate sizzle then crushes some aged peppercorns between his fingers to begin seasoning the meat before adding some foraged rock salt to it, thankful that he had the skills necessary to collect reagents during his travel. He looked up toward the figure in the shadows, seeing that it was close enough for the firelight to outline the very front edge of his muzzle. Sebastian tried not to pull away in fear. "T-Tell me, my Lord... do you prefer your meat with herbs, or just simple seasoning? I.. I forged some sage and thyme which could go wonderfully well with deer. If you approve, I would gladly add some."

The Dragon snorted dismissively at your words. "Simple seasoning will do. I do not require such... frivolities as herbs to enjoy my meals."

Sebastian nodded in deference. "As you wish, my Lord."

Silence reigned again for many minutes as Sebastian finished cooking. He felt the Dragon's eyes on him as the Human checked the meat, ensuring that it was searing nicely; fortunately, it was. The young man almost jumped when the Dragon spoke again, the large creature's voice surprisingly close. "You seem to have quite the talent for this, Human. It is rare to find someone who can cook well in these lands."

Slowly looking up from the meat, Sebastian froze at how close his host was to him. The large Dragon's head was nearly the size of the Human's entire body. He had a large sweeping horn on either side of his head and a strange, silverly mane-like crest running from the top of his head down his neck and into the blackness where the rest of his body was likely resting. The Dragon's scales were a gray color with hints of bluish-white highlights and his eyes were a gleaming topaz. Realizing he was staring, Sebastian's eyes returned to the meet, accepting the praise humbly. "You honor me, my Lord. In my village, men and women were judged by what they could contribute to the community. I learned how to cook from an early age and, if not for being forced to leave I-- ah... please forgive my rambling."

The Human felt his cheeks redden; his host had told him not to try and become familiar-- Sebastian had a job to do, and he would focus on that. Flipping the steaks, he added a few small foraging tubers. "As soon as the vegetables blister I'll add in the wild onions, and the first round of meat will be ready. I would offer you the pan to eat out of but it is very hot. How shall I serve your dinner, my Lord?"

The Dragon grunted in response and Sebastian looked up, noticing his host's eyes were on the food and not him. "I care not for the serving methods. As long as you showcase your skills and it satisfies my hunger it will allow me to judge how worthy you are. Think of me like your old community, Sebastian-- prove you can contribute."

Sebastian nodded, quickly adding the foraged onions and, as they sizzled, he went back to his backpack. The blacksmith of his town had a broken shield which the young man had repurposed at one time as a large serving plate-- he'd fortunately brought it with. Grabbing the enormous metal disc the Human brought it back to the fire and began piling it high; any of the three steaks would have been more than enough for a man to eat but even the three of them seemed far to little to satisfy the dragon... even after adding the vegetables. He hefted the weight of the tray and took several steps closer, laying it on a large collection of rocks. "There is more than enough venison that I will be able to provide you seconds if you still hunger afterwards. Here you are, my Lord... I hope you enjoy."

The Dragon regarded the plate before him with a critical eye, nose working the air as if taking in the aroma before digging in. Surprisingly, Sebastian noted that his host devoured the tubers first, only then progressing onto the steak. He downed in seconds what would have taken three grown men at least a half of an hour. Turning to regard Sebastian, the Dragon then declared "I find your work to be acceptable. You have some talent, human."

Sebastian nodded, swallowing the increased trepidation he'd experienced while awaiting the verdict. He inclined his head. "Thank you, my Lord. I am most appreciative that you approve."

The Dragon's scaled lips split into a slight smirk, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Very well. Fetch me another serving, Sebastian."

The Human bowed again, moving back to tend to the half of a deer, pulling away more meat. "Of course. I will get started right away." He paused, slowly looking up at the Dragon, who was staring right back at him. Feeling small beneath the powerful gaze, he had to force the words out. "Please forgive my impertinence, but do you have a preference for what I should call you? I use 'My Lord' because I do not know your name, but... if that is something that is not improper for me to ask, I would refer to you properly if you were to offer it to me?"

The Dragon regarded him for a time; Sebastian had three steaks cut at that point and was just returning to the fire when his host spoke. "My name is not something that is often shared with humans, but I suppose I will make an exception in your case, given your talents... consider it a benevolence I provide to you, Sebastian the Human. You will cook two of those steaks for me, and I will allow you to eat one yourself... and, as we dine together, you may call me Arivith."