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Jade and Amethyst

By

James Raisanen and Caitlyn Shannon

The clash of metal on metal rang through the air as the young woman met a bandit's dagger with the sword she'd taken from his fallen comrade. She forced the smaller blade back until the man was forced to step back and tripped over the prostrate form of the bandit whose sword the young woman wielded, then she whirled to meet another bandit's blade. Her grace and quick movement showed she was obviously trained in swordplay, but the bandits were too many, and she was beginning to tire. It was late afternoon, nearing dusk, and Giada hadn't been expecting an ambush on her way home with her haul of coral and pearls after a day of diving. The bandits had surrounded her, and Giada had dropped the sack full of her day's haul in order to defend herself. Now she stepped back to steady herself after a particularly vicious swipe from one of the bandits, and her heel caught on the sack, sending her off-balance and into the grasp of the bandits, who'd quickly closed in.

"No!" she screamed, struggling to break free, but they held firm against her attempts. The greedy looks on the bandits' leering faces made it crystal clear just what they were going to do to her.

Nearby, an amethyst colored dragon swimming about the ocean, hunting for its meal. As he approached his lair, he noticed a group of men circled around something. Hearing a woman's screams, he changed his form to a nine foot, twelve-hundred pound humanoid dragon and landed near them. He walked up to them and tapped one of the men on the shoulder. "What are you doing on my land?"

"Yer land? Who sez this is yer la-ah!" The bandit turned to get rid of the interruption, and his words turned to a yelp of surprise. The man obviously hadn't expected to see the dragon.

The other bandits turned to look as well and seemed just as surprised as the first. Then their surprised expressions turned to leers once more as all but the five against whom Giada still struggled moved to encircle the dragon.

"Why dontcha jus' go on yer way an' leave us ta our bizness, lizard-man?" another bandit sneered. "Or do ya wanna taste our steel?"

The dragon listened to the man's words, completely unaffected by them. "Listen, my good man, if you do not get off of my land, I will be forced to continue my meal. I am still quite famished, you see." The dragon's deep voice rumbled into the dusk air as he revealed his great teeth to the men. "I will give you five more seconds to comply."

A couple of the bandits glanced around as if wondering whether to do as the dragon said or stay where they were. A couple made a run for it. The bandit who had spoken, and was apparently the leader of the gang, didn't move.

The dragon waited the five seconds that he had mandated and began transforming again. His true form came into being and he roared at the men who continued to stand there, waiting to see what they would do.

The bandits scattered like leaves in the wind. The five who held Giada let go so suddenly in their rush to escape that she stumbled and fell on her backside on the path.

Alaric transformed into his human form, a six foot two, two hundred seventy pound man with jet black hair and amethyst colored eyes. He walked over to the woman and leaned over, extending his hand to her. "Are you all right, m'lady?"

Giada took his hand and stood, brushing herself off. "Yes, thank you. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't come along, though," she said with a shudder.

She looked up to meet his eyes and was struck by their color. The rest of him wasn't so bad, either. Of course, as the lust that had burned in the eyes of the bandits had shown, she wasn't too hard on the eyes herself. Despite her profession, Giada was pale as one of the cream-colored pearls for which she dove. The top of her head came up to the man's shoulder, and her platinum hair flowed to her calves. She bent to check the contents of the sack by her feet, and, satisfied that nothing within it had been broken, picked up the sack and slung it over her shoulder.

Alaric looked the area over as she prepared to continue her journey. It looked like she had put down a few of the men before they overtook her. "You seem to be a fair warrior."

Giada shrugged. "I've had some training. It pays well to know how to defend oneself in my line of work."

"And what kind of work do you do, exactly?" He scrutinized her, sizing her up.

She set down her haul and opened the sack to show him the brightly colored coral and gleaming pearls. "I'm a diver. I take my haul to the village down the road and sell it to the craftworkers and jewelry makers."

He looked at her haul, then back up at her face. His opaque amethyst eyes seemed as though they could see everything. "Do you need assistance back to your village?"

Giada shook her head. "I ought to be fine the rest of the way. I doubt those bandits will be back any time soon after the scare you gave them."

Alaric nodded and began to go back to his cave, but stopped shortly and turned his head to look at her. "My name is Alaric."

She smiled, hefting her sack once again onto her shoulder. "Giada."

With that, the man transformed back into his humanoid dragon form and walked into his lair and went to sleep. Giada continued on down the dirt road to the village where she would sell her wares.

A few days later, she returned to the place where she'd met the dragon. Rather than a sackful of corals and pearls, however, this time she only carried a small parcel, which she held very carefully. She left the road and walked up to the entrance of the cave. "Alaric?" she called softly, unsure whether the dragon was home or if she even had the right place.

A deep, rhythmic rumbling came from deep within the cave, like a loud snoring.

Well, she had the right place; the rumbling seemed to prove it. Giada took a few steps into the cave. Yes, she had the right place, and yes, Alaric seemed to be there, but she had to wonder: was it wise to wake a sleeping dragon?

The closer she got, the louder the rumbling became. Out of one of the carved-out rooms in the cave, a man came out and addressed the newcomer. "Who is it that would disturb the slumber of our master?"

Master? she questioned mentally. Giada vaguely remembered hearing the old women in her village telling tales about dragons and speaking of those who served the great creatures. "Only someone who wishes to thank him for providing aid in a time of need," she said.

"Then come with me," the man said as he led her to his master's chamber. He said nothing, waiting for Alaric to catch their scent and wake up on his own.

A few minutes passed before Alaric awoke from their scent. When he saw that it was Giada, he assumed his human form and walked up to her. "Hello, Giada. How are you this day?"

"I'm doing well," Giada replied. "I wanted to thank you properly for helping me the other day. According to the old women of my village, the best way to give thanks to someone is to bring them a gift." She unwrapped the parcel in her arms and held it out to him. Nestled in the cloth was a small figure of a dragon made of lavender coral and with two perfect pearls for its eyes.

Alaric's amethyst eyes took in the coral dragon and he smiled. "The old women in your village are wise," he said as he took the miniature dragon and looked at it more closely. "Your craftsmanship is ample, I shall put this in my treasure room. Thank you for the gift."

He looked at her once again. "Was this all you needed of me?" The dragon knew this would come off sounding rude, but he did not mean to make it rude.

Giada met his gaze. Seeing that he didn't mean for his question to sound rude, she decided to throw him a bone, so to speak. "Yes, that's all I needed of you, but it's my way to offer payment in kind. Is there anything you might need of me?"

Alaric arched his brow at her question. "Do you mean to become one of my servants?"

"I only mean to repay you for helping me before. However, if there is nothing you need of me as of now, I can leave you to your business."

"And so you have done. If there is nothing you need assistance with, you are free to stay or leave."

"Well then," Giada said, nodding to him in acknowledgement. "I'll leave you to your business." She headed back out the way she'd come into the cave and went on her way.

He went into his treasure room to put the coral dragon with some other trinkets that had been made for him. After he had made sure it was secure, he walked out into the world and became his true self. He flapped his wings a few times and roared loudly before he took off into the air. He dove into the ocean and ate his breakfast.

On the dirt road back to her village, Giada heard the dragon's roar and looked up, marveling at how a creature could have such an ungainly form and still be so graceful and majestic.\

After breakfast, Alaric flew to his cave to get some gold. He became human and gathered enough to buy enough gems to eat later that night. He donned some vestments given him by some nobles four hundred years ago. He transformed into his hybrid form, his clothing shifting and stretching to fit, and took flight to go into the city. On the outskirts of the city he landed and became human once more.

Alaric exchanged the usual pleasantries, but rarely spent much time other than to get what he was looking for. He went to the jeweler and purchased all the gems in his building and put them in his bag of holding. He walked out of the city and became his hybrid form once more, taking off for the nearest village, which by human standards was two hours away.

About twenty minutes later, Alaric arrived in the village and once again assumed human form and headed for the jeweler. He did this three more times before arriving in the final village which Giada called her home.

His well-made clothes marked him as someone of high status, and villagers quieted as Alaric approached, then took to whispering and gossiping as he passed, wondering why someone like him would visit their village. A few children who'd been playing in the street saw him go into the jeweler's and ran to the training field where Giada was teaching to tell her of the handsomely-dressed stranger who'd arrived.

Alaric walked through the village until he arrived at the jeweler's shoppe. He walked into the door and was immediately recognized by Jett, the man who ran the shoppe. "Jett, once again, it is time to purchase all of your gems." He pulled out the necessary amount of gold and piled it onto the wooden counter the proprietor had while Jett gathered up all the gems he had. "See you in a few years, Jett." Alaric nodded to the man and left the shoppe.

Giada allowed the children to drag her toward the jeweler's. "There! There! See?" one little girl piped up, pointing at Alaric as he left the shoppe. "I told you, Giada! Didn't I tell you?" The child was bouncing on the balls of her feet and tugging at Giada's hand.

"Yes, yes, Nashita, you told me all right," Giada smiled at the girl.

Alaric heard the child and smiled, seeing who the girl was speaking to. He walked over to the beautiful woman whom he had saved a few short days ago. "Why, hello, Giada. Fancy meeting you here, after so short a break."

Giada smiled. "Hello, Alaric." The children gathered around her looked like they were in shock that the man knew their teacher. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, either. What brings you to our village?" The little girl, Nashita, tugged at Giada's hand again, and Giada shooed the children away. "Go practice, children. I'll be there to see how you're doing soon."

Alaric waited until the children had left before speaking with Giada. "I come to this village every few years so that I might buy jewels. I go to every jeweler in the area, there are six."

"Ah, so you're here to see Jett? Or rather, you've seen him already," she said. "It's strange, but I don't remember seeing you here before. I guess I must have been away the other times."

"Rest assured, I have seen you before, here in this village. I rarely stay long enough to banter except with each jeweler, and even then, never more than a few minutes."

"Oh." Giada glanced away for a moment, a bit embarrassed, but she couldn't think why that would be. "Erm, when I'm not diving for pearls and coral I teach the children here dance and swordplay. Would you...care to come watch for a little while?" she invited.

The dragon thought this over for a few moments, then looked at the woman once more. "Yes, I believe I will watch you. Pray, lead the way."

"Of course," Giada smiled and led Alaric through the village to the training field. At one side of the field, a group of boys was going through sword strokes with wooden poles. On the other side, a group consisting mainly of girls but including a few boys was practicing part of a dance. After correcting a couple of the pole-wielding boys' stances, Giada went to the dancers and joined them, calling out encouragement as she went through the steps with them.

He watched as she went about her duties. "Why are the rest of the boys not also dancing? Do they not understand that battle is much like a dance and that there is much to learn by dancing?"

Giada chuckled. "Perhaps you would like to help me teach them that?" she asked. She held up a hand to the dancers, who stopped, and called the boys who were practicing their swordplay over to join them. She took two of the boys' poles and held one out to Alaric. "I think showing them would serve better than telling them, don't you?" she smiled.

He took the extended pole and took up a fighting stance. "Gladly," he told her.

The children moved back, clearing to one side to watch the sparring match. Giada took up a fighting stance as well, then leapt at Alaric, swinging her pole up over her head and around.

He blocked her attack and stepped to her side, pushing outward with his left hand to strike lightly at her side.

She grabbed his wrist and spun out, pulling his arm up and jabbing her pole at his armpit.

Dropping his pole, he grabbed hers and pulled her in close for a moment, allowing her to see his opaque eyes up close, then let her go. He dropped to the ground to roll backwards and picked his pole up mid-roll. He stood, ready for her to come at him again in a fighting stance.

From the moment he pulled her in, Giada was entranced. But as soon as he let go, she planted her pole against the ground and used it like a vaulting pole, kicking out at his midsection.

He grabbed her ankle and helped her down to the ground behind him, moving to where her pole was and picking it up. After she stood, he tossed it back to her.

She caught it easily and slid into a fighting stance again. "Seems like I'm doing most of the work here," she grinned.

"Perhaps," he said as he also got into a fighting stance.

Giada laughed and leapt at Alaric again, setting her pole spinning in her hand as she brought it down.

He watched her feet just before she leapt, which told him exactly where she was going to land, and watched her shoulders while she was in mid-air, which told him where she was going to strike. He stepped to her left and touched his pole to the back of her neck to let her know that the point was his.

Giada felt the tap and dove into a roll. She stood and faced Alaric, grinning. "You win. Thank you for helping me demonstrate," she said, then turned to the watching, awestruck children. "Keep what you've seen today in mind. Perhaps you boys who didn't join the dancers today will join us tomorrow. You're all dismissed. Go on home." The children scattered, laughing and chattering. The boys who had been practicing swordplay left their poles in a pile on the grass, which Giada picked up.

"Perhaps you would like a bit of help?"

"If you wish to help, I certainly wouldn't refuse," she replied.

He leaned over and picked up what was left of the poles. "I meant with training. I could train you so you might train the younglings better."

"I only teach them the basics. The boys train with someone else by the time they reach ten years of age." Giada headed back into the village, gesturing for Alaric to follow. Her house wasn't too far from the field, so it wasn't much of a walk. "But if you would take the time to train me, I'd be happy to take instruction from you, Alaric. Would you like to come in?"

He followed her to her house and listened to her explanation. When she invited him in he nodded, not one to shirk politeness. "Regardless, if you have a better understanding of advanced fighting techniques, you are able to teach the basics in a far superior manner. Please, take the word of someone as ancient as myself."

Giada set the bundle of training poles in the corner just inside the door and stepped aside to let Alaric enter. "Would it be rude of me to ask how old you are?" she asked. "In your current form, you look to be around the same age as me, and I'm only twenty. What does that translate to for a dragon?"

Alaric entered her house and bundled the poles he was carrying with the poles she had set aside. "How old I look in my human form has little to do with how old I truly am. My age is six hundred and seventy-two."

"Wow. I could never imagine living that long," Giada said. "Of course, that means little since no human could live as long as a dragon."

Alaric smiled a little upon hearing what he considered a great compliment.

"Those children are going to be babbling about you for days," Giada chuckled. "After all, it's a rare occurrence to have such a nicely dressed stranger visit the village and then spar with their teacher."

"Allow them to talk. After all, children will be children." He watched her, wondering why she had not offered food or beverage as of yet, it was proper etiquette for a hostess.

"Yes, that's true." She looked around as if something in the room might give her something to say, then she realized what she was missing. "Oh! I'm sorry. How rude of me. Would you like me to get you something to eat or drink?" Giada asked.

"I would like some fish, if you have any."

Giada chewed her lip and shook her head. "I don't keep food that spoils quickly in my house. I'm sorry. If you're willing to wait, I can go see if the butcher's gotten any in today."

Alaric shook his head at the suggestion. "That is unnecessary. If you do not have what I like, I will go without until I get home."

"Oh. All right, then." Giada was beginning to feel a bit awkward, standing there with no idea of what to say next and having already made a couple mistakes.

After just a couple more minutes, Alaric stood from the table and pushed in his chair. "I must away, I have one more stop to make today."

"Then I won't keep you any longer," Giada said. "Thank you again for joining me in teaching today's lesson."

"Then I will see you again, whenever you decide to learn under my tutelage." He began walking to the door, shocked at how little etiquette the woman had been taught. Perhaps he would teach her some in addition to the battle training.

Giada rushed to get the door for him, a blush of embarrassment starting on her cheeks. She so rarely had guests that it was no wonder she seemed to be forgetting her manners.

After he walked out of her door, he turned around and bowed to her. "Good morrow, Giada. Until we meet again."

Giada nodded in response to his bow. "Yes, good morrow, Alaric. I hope we will meet again soon."

He walked to the outskirts of the village, then transformed into his hybrid form and flew to his next destination. The next jeweler commented on Alaric's tardiness, but Alaric quickly dismissed the comment with a brief explanation. He flew back to his cave after about twenty-five minutes of being in the city.

The next day, just past noon, Giada could be found lying on the beach with her arms folded behind her head. She had gotten a good haul that morning alone, and it was a nice day, so she decided to just relax some and watch the birds wheeling about in the clear blue sky.

Alaric had finished his late breakfast and had seen Giada while he was hunting. As he surfaced, the water bubbled out around his gigantic form, and exploded out as he broke out into the air. He saw her down on the beach near his home and flew near her, shifting from his true form to his hybrid form, and after he landed, became human because it was rude to speak with humans in his hybrid form.

Giada sat up, hearing the soft sound of shifting sand that signaled someone approaching. Seeing that it was Alaric, she quickly got to her feet. "Good afternoon, Alaric. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here?"

He cocked his brow but smiled. "I saw you while I was eating breakfast."

"Ah. I haven't interrupted your meal, I hope." She noticed the lift to his brow and her own brow furrowed slightly. "Have I said something strange?"

"I am surprised to find that you did not see me while you were diving," he said as he shook his head.

"Ah. Well, I may have been absorbed in my work," Giada replied. "I often get caught up in the shapes and colors of the coral or the quality of the pearls I find, and I'll completely block out the rest of my surroundings. It's not a very safe situation, but it happens nonetheless."

"If you would like to train, I will be at my home." He turned around and walked to his cave.

Giada picked up the sack that held her morning's haul and took it to her home. She'd take it to the jeweler and craft makers later. Then she walked to Alaric's cave. Unlike the first time she'd been there, she only stepped a little ways inside the cave mouth. "Alaric?"

He stopped and turned round to face her. "Yes?"

She was a little confused by Alaric's response. He had said to come to his home if she wished to train with him, hadn't he. "I wish to train with you, if I may."

"Of course, come in." He turned about face and went to his master chamber.

Giada followed, both apprehensive and eager. While she was eager to learn from the dragon, she had no way of knowing what he was going to teach her or how he would go about doing so.

The first thing she would notice is the gigantic slope that led to his chamber. The walls and ceiling of the cave had to be enormous to house his massive frame, and allow for his continual growth. She would also notice patches of phosphorescent moss dotting the walls of the cave and the walls and ceiling of his chamber. It was bright enough for a human to see, but the chamber itself was bare so he might sleep in it.

She looked around in awe. She hadn't realized how much space there could be in one closed-in place.

"How is your hand to hand combat?" he asked as he turned to face her.

"Hand to hand? Pretty basic, but, um..." As Alaric turned to face her, Giada blushed and glanced away. He was just as bare as the chamber. Completely uncovered. How had she not noticed that before? "Will you be teaching me...unclothed?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

Giada glanced back at him, then looked away again, blushing redder. "Er, I'm afraid I would be quite distracted..." she said.

"Then this would teach you to focus during battle," he said as he watched her face. "You do not always get your way when you fight."

"I understand that, but--no, never mind. Shall we get to it?" Giada asked.

Before she could finish her question, he stepped forward with his right leg and struck out with his left hand. "Yes," he said, "we shall begin." He intentionally left a tiny space between his fist and her face, allowing her to see that even at his age he was precise, then he pulled back and took a fighting stance. His stance was one that had not been seen on the earth for more than five hundred years.

She gasped, jerking back an instant too late. She slid into a low stance that should allow her to move quickly in any direction. It was definitely a much different stance than Alaric's.

His body was loose, without tension, his left hand was up, six inches from his face. His right hand was down, six inches from his solar plexus. His eyes were alert to her entire body, constantly seeking out each individual limb to see what they were doing. "Come at me, and see . . ."

Giada nodded and sprang from her stance, aiming a right-handed punch at his abdomen.

Alaric watched as Giada shifted her stance slightly, the muscles in her legs coiling as she prepared for her lunge. Her right shoulder, which she most likely was unable to perceive as moving, moved with her torso to roll forward and strike out toward his midsection. All of this happened in less than five seconds, but to Alaric it may as well have been five minutes. His right hand, down by his solar plexus, snaked out and grabbed her wrist, the muscles in his forearm bunching as his hand wrapped around her limb. He sidestepped and allowed her momentum to carry her forward, but he did not let go of her. He whirled her round to face him once again and then let go.

Instinctively, Giada's body tensed at the pressure on her wrist when Alaric grabbed her, but her momentum was too much to simply stop. She let herself move with the motion and stumbled a couple steps when he let go, but she quickly regained her balance and slid back into her earlier stance.

"Do you see?" he asked her as he took up his stance once again. "Again."

Giada nodded and tried again, shifting her weight lightly between her feet before springing at Alaric. As before, she aimed a punch at his abdomen with her right hand, but instead of following through, she stopped the strike sharply and brought her left leg around in a kick aimed for his hip. She shifted on her supporting leg, turning into the kick and twisting her hip so the top of her foot would connect rather than the side.

To a certain point, her attack was the same. His right hand began to go after hers, but his amethyst eyes picked up her right foot landing and the movement of her left leg coming up. In that instant, Alaric's right arm bolted out to grab the upper thigh of her left leg and he leaned forward, his left hand slipping behind her to rest on her back. He pushed her down to the ground gently so as not to hurt her and smiled. "That was better," he said before standing, pulling her up with him. "Improvisation is important in any fight. After all, if you stick to the training, anyone who has taken the time to learn your style will know how to react." He took up his stance once more. "Again."

She gasped at the pleasant shock his hand on her thigh sent through her, but she tried to ignore it and concentrate on training. They continued training in this way until the sun had sunk below the horizon. Of course, being in an underground cavern, Giada had no way of knowing night had fallen. She only knew she was more exhausted than any day of diving or instructing the children of her village had ever made her.

During the training, Alaric's adrenaline had been running high, and his hard penis had pressed against Giada's body. He continued with the training as though it were the most natural thing in the world, which, to him, it was. She seemed to do well enough, even after claiming she would be distracted by his nakedness. She had given him a better workout than he had had in almost seventy years, when he had to take part in the war. "I look forward to training you again."

In truth, she had most definitely noticed what was happening with Alaric's lower half, but she'd put it out of her mind, realizing it was better to focus on staying on her feet than on that one part of him. She smiled. "Thank you. I look forward to it as well."

A few weeks went by, and she came by about two days a week for training. He would have rather she came by four or more, but he understood her responsibilities, and he continued to keep the training on an as-able basis. Despite how little she came by, she was learning quickly, and he was glad for this.

Yes, Giada was learning quickly, and she was as glad for it as Alaric. However, as her combat skills grew, so did something else. She was starting to develop feelings for him beyond their master/apprentice relationship, and she wasn't sure how to deal with those feelings. Sure, she'd been attracted to others before, but those were almost completely different situations.

The dragon awoke late in the morning, near noon, and went out of his cave to go and eat. When he got out into the open air, he noticed the sounds of children playing on the beach near his lair. He was glad he chose to come out in his true form. He took flight and lit in the ocean, near the shore so he might speak with Giada.

Giada was watching the children playing in the water or making constructs in the sand and saw the dragon plunge into the water, sending a larger wave toward the shore. The children who were caught by the wave laughed and turned toward the shore as they were carried toward it.

"Giada, I wanted you to know that I am proud of how far you have come in your training."

Giada smiled. "Thank you, Alaric. I've always been a quick learner, but I'm actually a bit surprised at how much I've learned from you within the past few weeks. I have to thank you for that." A couple children screamed as they finally realized what had caused the wave only moments ago. Giada turned and called to them. "It's all right, children. There's no need to fear."

"I must admit, though, that if I had decided not to teach you, the style would have died out. Nobody has used it for nearly five hundred years. So it is you whom I should be thanking." He looked around at the children and smiled his toothy, draconian smile. "Are the younglings benefitting from the additional training of their master?"

The children trusted Giada and saw that she was talking to the dragon calmly enough, so they went back to their fun. Giada smiled at Alaric again. "Yes, the children are benefitting greatly."

"I am pleased. I must eat now, but I will be at home later, if you wish to visit."

"Well, since you've invited me I certainly can't refuse," Giada smiled.

"You could, but it would be slightly rude. I will see you later in the day, then," he said before walking into the ocean and diving down to catch his breakfast.

A few minutes later, Giada heard one of the children scream, "Giada! Giada!" Giada whirled, and the child pointed frantically out at the waves, where a small form could be seen floundering too far from the shore. "Nashita!" Giada ran and dove into the water, striking out strongly for the girl, but the undertow had caught the child and was carrying her farther away. Giada wasn't getting close fast enough.

The aural conductivity of the water plus his own sensitive ears allowed him to hear Giada screaming. He recognized the name, it was the little girl whom he had met during his visit to her village. Once he had spotted the little girl, Alaric flapped his mighty wings, which propelled him full speed through the currents, even stopping the movement of the ocean momentarily. He caught the girl in his mouth as gently as he could and swam to the shore, depositing the girl on the beach.

Giada saw Alaric rescue the girl and let out a breath of relief. She swam back to shore and knelt beside the child, who was coughing and gasping. Giada turned Nashita onto her side so she could spit up the seawater she'd swallowed. "Thank you, Alaric," she said, looking up at the dragon. "She would have drowned if you hadn't gotten to her. I wouldn't have gotten there in time. Thank you." It showed in her voice how much she cared for the little girl.

Alaric nodded his massive head and walked up onto land, making sure not to step on anyone. He took off and flew around for awhile, enjoying the midday sun on his amethyst scales.

"Sissy," Nashita whimpered, clutching at Giada's dress and burying her face in her lap, weeping. Giada pulled the little girl close and whispered soothingly. "Shh, Nashita. It's all right. You're safe now. You're safe now." Nashita must have been terrified. She rarely ever called Giada "sissy" unless she was extremely upset. "It's all right, Sissy's here, sweetie. It's all right, Nashita." Giada looked up as she held her sister, watching Alaric flying above and marveling at the beauty of such a creature as the dragon.

After a few hours of flying in the sun, Alaric decided to finally go home. He transformed to his human form and waited for Giada to show.

About an hour after Alaric returned home, Giada walked in. She looked a little strung out after the events of a few hours before, but she still smiled when she saw Alaric. "Thank you again for saving my little sister, Alaric," she said. "I don't know what I would do if I lost her."

"Sister," he said as he stepped toward her. "I had a sibling, long ago. I have no idea what happened." Alaric set his hand on Giada's shoulder and smiled. "I'm glad I could help."

The warm weight of his hand on her shoulder was extremely comforting, and she smiled again, putting her hand on top of his and giving it a gentle squeeze. She was suddenly overcome with the urge to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him, but Giada resisted the urge.

"Are you sure you want to train today? Would you rather stay and visit?"

Giada shook her head. "I doubt I would be able to focus on training right now. But if you don't mind me staying to visit, I would love to."

"Please, adjourn to my chamber, then. I will meet with you in a few minutes." Alaric was naked, as was his wont, but if they would be visiting, then he would dress. It was only polite. He went to the chamber of his cave where he kept his clothing and picked out some loose fitting garb, then met with her.

Giada had chosen to sit leaning against a wall of the chamber. Since it was such a gigantic space, she would have felt extremely awkward sitting or standing alone in the middle of the chamber. She smiled and waved to let Alaric know where she was, though he probably needed no signal to find her.

Alaric walked up to Giada and sat a few feet across from her. "Was there anything you needed to get off your mind?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I think I would like to learn more about you, though. How about we share stories. You tell me something, then I'll tell you something."

He nodded as he decided what to tell her. "What kind of story would you like to hear?"

"Tell me something about your youth."

Alaric looked up toward the ceiling as he chose a story to tell her. "I shall tell you how I learned my style of fighting." He looked down and back at her as he began. "Six hundred years ago, I decided to travel the world. During my travels, I came across a monastery on a secluded island. Their way of life appealed to my nature, so I stayed there for two hundred years, training with them. I left to see how the world had changed, and I stayed away for seventy years before my return to the island. However, when I finally did return, the monastery was in ruins and the island was uninhabited."

"How did their way of life appeal to you?" Giada asked. "What was their way of life, for that matter?"

"They lived their lives as neutrally as possible. Aside from the monastery and their garden, they communed with the earth, only taking what was necessary and putting back what they took. It was peaceful, and no harm ever came to anyone."

"That sounds like it would be nice," Giada said quietly, then she chuckled. "But I think I would get bored living like a monk."

"One must first master desire before one can know what one truly wants."

Giada smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? And have you mastered desire, Alaric?" she asked.

"Two hundred years living on a secluded island training with monks has taught me how to control my earthly desires, yes."

Giada let slight disappointment flicker over her features for barely an instant before leaning back against the cool stone wall of the cave. "All right then, what would you like to hear from me?" she asked.

His eyes noticed the change in her face, but he made no outward notice of it. "Have you ever seen combat?"

"Combat? You mean aside from fighting off bandits every so often? Real combat?" Giada shook her head. "If you mean a battle, no, I've never seen combat in that form."

"I see. Of course you wouldn't have seen war, it was fifty years before your time." He shook his head at his stupidity.

"Do you mean...the war seventy years ago?" Giada asked a bit hesitantly. "My grandparents met during that war. On the battlefield, in fact."

Alaric nodded. "What of your childhood? How did you come to the position you are now in?"

"My childhood? Really, it was much the same as that of the children in my village now. My father was one of the village boys who chose to train as a soldier in the city. My mother was a diver like I am now, but she taught dance more often than she went diving. When my father returned from his training ten years after he'd left, he saw my mother dancing and fell in love with her. He took to accompanying her on her diving trips, acting as her guard and learning the tricks of the trade from her. My mother died a few months after giving birth to Nashita seven years ago."

He looked down at the ground. "I see. That is why it's so important to keep her alive." He looked back up at her. "But what of your father?"

"Yes, that's why." Now it was Giada's turn to look at the ground. "My father...I don't know what's become of him. He left the village to sell some of his coral and pearls in the city, and he never came back. I was fifteen when he left."

He reached a long arm over to touch her knee with his hand. "Did you search for him?"

"For months. He reached the city. We think something happened to him on the way home."

"I am sorry to hear it. I cannot imagine the amount of pain you went through in your heart." He let a silence hang between them.

Giada hugged her knees to her chest. "Let's talk of something less depressing, please. I don't want to end our conversation on a sour note."

"Of course," said Alaric as he removed his hand from Giada's knee. "How do you find the inspiration for the trinkets and jewelry you create from your dives?"

"My inspiration? From my surroundings and things I find beautiful or enchanting in some way." A moment later, she remembered the coral dragon she'd made for Alaric and a blush started on her cheeks.

He smiled as he stood and extended his hand to her. "Would you like to dance?"

Giada looked from his hand to his face and back again. "To dance?" Then she smiled and took Alaric's hand, standing. "Of course. I'd love to dance with you, Alaric."

Alaric used Giada's own momentum to bring her close to him, wrapping his left arm around her waist and taking up her left hand in his right. He began the dance.

Giada had never danced the way Alaric was dancing with her. She found herself quickly getting lost in the dance and his warmth being so close.

He continued to lead her around his bed chamber slowly, in a ballroom dance he had learned long ago. His nostrils were filled with her scent, the smell of the ocean; of wind, and salt, and sand, and fish.

Giada didn't know what prompted her to do so, but as they danced she rested her head against his chest. "Alaric? I think...I think I may be falling for you," she whispered.

Alaric gave Giada a squeeze when she professed her feelings for him. "I enjoy your company, and you are appealing to the eye, and I do not wish to hurt your feelings. I have no mate as yet because I have not found a woman who has proven herself my equal." He looked deep into her eyes as he continued. "But you have come the closest in my nearly six hundred and fifty years."

Giada chuckled, as if she knew he was going to say something similar. "Is that your way of saying you don't feel quite the same? It's all right, Alaric. I understand if that's how it is. To be honest, I wasn't expecting anything anyway."

Alaric continued to hold the woman. He leaned his head down and kissed the top of her head before letting her go and turning away.

She was a bit surprised by the kiss, even if it was only on the top of her head. "Is that my cue to leave for the day?" she asked. "I wouldn't want to stay and be rude if it is."

"You may stay, if you so desire. I will not ask you to stay or leave on my behalf." He continued to watch the wall as if it were interesting, waiting to see what her reaction would be.

Giada watched his back for a moment, then walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'll leave for now, but I'll be back when next I get the chance. It would be rude of me to do otherwise." She rose up on her toes and kissed his shoulder. "Thank you for simply conversing with me today, Alaric." Then she let him go and headed for the cave entrance.

Alaric watched her leave his cave and smiled. He went to his servants' chamber and communed with them.

When Giada returned the next day, she had a little parcel in her hands. One of Alaric's servants led her once more to the main chamber.

"The master is not in presently, but as he has been out all day, I believe that he will be home soon. Would you like to wait for him?"

Giada smiled and nodded. "Yes, I would."

She waited nearly an hour for Alaric to return to his home. His main servant informed him of Giada's arrival. He thanked the man and continued to his sleep chamber. His footsteps foretold his arrival to Giada, but he transformed to his human guise as he entered the room.

Of course, seeing as Alaric was unclothed when he transformed to his human form, and after Giada's confession the day before, she blushed and glanced away, returning her gaze to his face as she held out the parcel in her hands. "Nashita wanted me to give this to you for her. She carved it herself." The little parcel held a rough-hewn rose made of bright red coral. It was nowhere near the craftsmanship Giada's works showed, but anyone who looked at it could tell there had been a lot of heart put into the rose.

After opening the gift, he took in every single detail of it and smiled. "It is quite beautiful," he told her. "Please, allow me to put this in my treasure room. I shall return momentarily." He left the room to put the gift alongside the dragon Giada had made for him. Before he returned to his chamber, he decided to dress, because he had seen her action as he walked in. He felt that it would be bad manners to make his guest uncomfortable, especially after she had poured her heart into a glass and handed it to him. He had essentially slapped the proverbial glass away, and she was still willing to come back and visit him. He would need to handle the situation with care so as not to drive her away.

When Alaric returned, Giada smiled. "I'll be sure to tell Nashita you thought her rose was beautiful. She'll be overjoyed to get a compliment like that from the one who saved her life." She still blushed slightly, but it wasn't from embarrassment anymore. "So, are we to train today, or would you like to converse as we did yesterday?"

"It is never good to neglect your training for too long. Let's get to it." He assumed his accustomed stance as he prepared for her attack.

Giada took a similar stance, mixing the stance Alaric had shown her with the stance she had taken during their first training session. Then she shifted her weight nearly imperceptibly and aimed a kick at his right shoulder.

Alaric dodged to his left as though he were dancing, swaying his hips to help his movement. During his maneuver, he had dipped to make sure her leg went wide. He also struck out with his right arm to hit the right side of her stomach.

Giada snapped her leg in and turned so Alaric's arm hit her shin rather than her side. She twisted her upper body toward the leg she had used to block his strike, the muscles in her core visibly stretching and contracting on either side, then unwound quickly so her supporting leg lifted off the ground behind her and came around with all her weight put behind the kick aimed at his head.

He spun out of the way of her kick, side-pedaling quickly. There seemed to be something slightly vicious in that kick, he had never seen her attack his head before. He got ready in his stance once again and nodded to her to signal he was ready for her next attack.

Almost before he'd readied himself for her next attack, Giada landed on the leg she'd kicked out and used her momentum to dive into a roll, landing behind Alaric and swiping out with her right leg in an attempt to knock his feet from under him.

Alaric jumped high and back, landing on his hands and going into a handspring to land on his feet. As he was mid-air, he touched the back of her head and pushed her forward. There was a definite venom in her attacks today, and he considered momentarily while he gathered himself for the next attack.

She got to her feet, jaw clenched in determination to actually land a hit. She aimed a left hook at his jaw, then feinted and switched arms, aiming a punch at his gut with her right.

His thinking had made the dragon slow. He batted the left hook away, but he had nearly let her hit him in the abdomen. The master caught the pupil's hand and slipped his right leg between hers and swept her out from underneath herself. As he did that first day, he slipped his left hand between her back and the floor so he wouldn't hurt her.

Giada gasped involuntarily. Once again, he was close enough for her to feel his heat, and she could feel heat rising in her cheeks. She quickly slipped from his grasp and got to her feet, sliding back into the mixed stance she'd taken at the beginning of their training session.

He stood after she got out of his grasp, assuming his stance once more. "Shall we end our session for today?"

"As I said, only if you wish to, Alaric. You are the master and I the student, after all."

Alaric moved forward, much the same as he had during their first section. He made no move to attack her, but wrapped his arms around her waist. "I did not intentionally mean to hurt you, Giada. It is not that I do not share the same feelings as you, please do not get that impression."

Giada looked away. "Then what did you mean by it?" she asked, pushing herself out of his embrace and wrapping her own arms tight across her chest.

He looked down at the ground, hurt. Even with the opaqueness of his eyes, the hurt translated clearly across his face. "I merely meant that if we are to be mates, then we should take everything much slower."

Giada's gaze shot back to his face. "You meant...? Oh gods did I misunderstand! I never meant--I mean, I didn't think--Gods, I need to shut my mouth before I shove my foot any farther down my throat..."

He moved not one muscle as he watched her reaction. His arms at his sides, he took in every detail of her form as she made sense of what he was saying.

Once again, Giada could feel heat rising in her face and she knew her cheeks must be bright pink. "You...you really think I could be a good mate for you?"

"Do you not remember me telling you that you have come the closest to being a proper mate than any other in the last six hundred and fifty years?"

Giada nodded, unable to look at him. "Yes, I do."

"Did that mean nothing to you? Let's give it some time, and you continue to prove and improve yourself. With us amethyst dragons, our mates are not chosen based on feelings, but on actions. Those who are the most worthy get the opportunity to continue on their bloodlines."

Something suddenly seemed to flare up in Giada's eyes. "If I must prove myself to you, then I will, Alaric. For the moment, though, I believe I must go and cool my head. Else I may show a much less worthy side of myself. Thank you for today's lesson."

Alaric nodded and bowed to her. "Do not forget to thank your sister for the beautiful present."

Giada bowed in return. "Of course. Until when next we meet, Alaric," she said, turning and heading out of the cave. She walked down the road to the beach and dove into the sea, for, after all, what better way was there to cool one's head than to immerse oneself in cold water?

He smiled and convened with his servants until it was time to go to sleep.

A week or so had passed, and Giada found a beautiful piece of coral on her latest dive. The day was nice, so she decided to take her work outside. She smiled and greeted other villagers as they passed, but most of her attention was focused on the piece of coral, finding angles and facets to bring out whatever design was hidden at its core.

An entire week had passed without another visit from Giada, so after his breakfast in the ocean, Alaric decided to look for her. He went in and got dressed in a long, flowing purple coat with golden thread trimming and matching pants. He became his hybrid form and took flight for the village, only transforming back when he reached the city limits. He walked through Soma, the village of Giada's residence. The dragon found her working outside on a piece of coral. "Hello, Giada."

Giada looked up as a shadow darkened her field of vision. "Oh, hello Alaric. I apologize for not coming by this week. I was a bit overwhelmed with my duties here in the village, and today was the first day I got to myself."

"I understand. Then I shall leave you to your work, I do not wish to disturb you."

Giada shook her head. "Oh no, you're not disturbing me. Come, sit. Perhaps your company will actually help me figure out what to make of this piece of coral," she smiled.

"Be a muse? I suppose I could do that." He sat down next to her on the bench and watched her create.

Giada smiled and returned her attention to the coral in her hands. As she worked, the tip of her tongue pressed its way through the corner of her mouth, and she seemed to chew on it a bit. Alaric's presence actually did aid in her creative process, and she'd soon sculpted a tree with two tiny human figures sitting in the boughs on either side of the trunk. Two figures that, if looked at very closely and carefully might actually look very familiar.

After nearly five minutes of taking in the beauty of the tree and understanding who the figures under the tree were, Alaric heard a large group approaching the village. It did not sound to be a friendly horde. "Gather all able bodies and prepare them for battle, now!" He became his hybrid form and steeled himself for the inevitable battle.

"What? Alaric, what is it?" Giada asked, straining to hear what Alaric heard.

"There's no time. GO!" The changed physiology of his body amplified his voice, making it ring out through the village when he yelled out.

People stepped out of their homes to see what was happening, and Giada sped through the village, calling out, "All able bodies prepare for battle! All untrained villagers and children stay inside your houses!" The call was taken up, and she returned to her own house to grab a sword from the mantle.

"I need a great axe, Giada." Ten minutes after he received his weapon, the horde had just become visible on the horizon, and Alaric pointed at them. "That's what's coming, and they are not here for a banquet."

"Dear gods!" Giada gasped, then steeled herself for battle. "We can't let them reach the village."

Alaric swept Giada up in his arms and began to fly toward the band of barbarians. He counted on the gathered people to follow along. Within five minutes, they were near enough for him to smell their would-be attackers. He lit and set her on her own feet. "Are you prepared?" Even if the horde were to run at them, it would still take a few minutes.

Giada was startled when he suddenly picked her up, but she hid her surprise and took up a battle stance. "As prepared as I can be, given the circumstances." She glanced behind and saw the other armed villagers following their lead.

The militia of Soma arrived nearly a minute after the army of the barbarians, and Alaric had already began attacking people.

Giada whirled and leapt, clashing with the barbarian warriors almost as if she were simply dancing to one of the dances she would teach the village children. Following her and Alaric's lead, the Soma militia fought fiercely, determined to defend their home.

Because of his immense strength and size, cutting through the barbarians was very simple. He almost wanted to play the neutral card so that the others would be able to partake in the battle more, but he was already involved. He also did not want to slow down because of how much like a dance he and Giada were performing.

Giada grinned, enjoying how fluidly and unison she and Alaric were fighting.

Soon after the conflict began, the fifteen barbarians in the raiding party were on the ground, dead or dying. Alaric turned to Giada.

Giada wiped her sword on one of the barbarians' shoulder, then smiled at Alaric. The other villagers were already moving about the battlefield, getting rid of the bodies and taking the few of their own who had been lost back to the village for burial. "Well, Alaric, it seems I must thank you yet again. You've saved me and my little sister, and now you've saved Soma. I don't think there's anything I could make to give you that would be worth the deed this time."

Alaric, seeing all the moves he had taught Giada mixed with her own, on top of all she already had a mastery of, decided then and there that she would be his mate. "I do not believe that a reward would be yours to give, Giada. Should I require one, I will request it of your elder, but we shall see about that." He began rummaging through the possessions of the barbarians to see if they were carrying gems or anything else he could put into his treasure room. He found a couple gems, a few small sacks of gold, but other than armour and weapons, nothing that captivated him. He pocketed the few gems he had found and left the rest for the villagers.

"You have a point there," Giada conceded. There was a tap on her shoulder, and she turned to face one of the villagers who had fought alongside her and Alaric. Giada wasn't a military leader or person of high status in the village, but after the role she'd taken to defend Soma, it appeared the others were waiting for her orders. "Take whatever armour and weapons you wish from the dead. We may need them in the future. And prepare a separate funeral pyre for the invaders' dead. They deserve as much respect in death as our own even though they didn't give us that respect in life."

Alaric wanted to go to her in that moment and embrace her, but he resisted the urge, there would be a more appropriate time for such an action. Her compassion for her fallen enemies was on par with what he would have done had they been on his land.

When the field had been cleared of bodies and weapons and two funeral pyres had been set for the dead, Giada brushed back her hair from her face and tied it with a leather thong that had been wrapped around her wrist, then she turned to Alaric. "Would you care to join Nashita and me for a meal? I bought some fish from Jett just this morning and was planning on cooking it this evening. I always seem to make enough for more than two people and end up sharing it with the neighbours, so there ought to be enough that we won't go hungry if you join us."

The hybrid became the human and Alaric smiled at Giada, there was no way he could say no to a fish dinner, especially after such thirsty work as battle. "I would be honoured to join you for dinner." He held out his arm for her to take and allowed her to lead the way to her home.

Giada smiled and linked her arm through his. Upon reaching her house, Giada was immediately tackled by a the ball of energy that was her little sister. "You're safe! Giada, I was so scared!" Nashita cried, squeezing her sister's waist. Then she turned to Alaric and, after a moment's hesitation, gave him a quick hug as well and ran back into the house. Giada chuckled and held open the door for Alaric to enter. "It looks like she's taken a liking to you, Alaric."

"So it would appear," he said with a chuckle. Alaric entered Giada's house after her, and took a seat at the table. He was slightly disappointed because in some places his clothes were torn and sliced open.

Nashita was setting the table and grinned at Alaric when he took a seat. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked. "'Cause we're going to be waiting a while for the fish." Giada chuckled. "She's a better hostess than I am, that's for sure. But Nashita's right. It will take a little while. Not too long, though." She headed into the little kitchen off through the side doorway by the table, and soon the air started to fill with the scent of cooking fish and herbs.

"I would like some berry juice, if you have some." He sniffed the air as the fish cooked, and he was made all the more hungry.

Nashita nodded fervently and rushed into the kitchen, returning with a jug of juice and pouring some into the mug she'd placed at Alaric's seat at the table. She also poured some into her own mug and Giada's. A few minutes later, Giada returned to the table with a platter of fish and served Alaric and Nashita before taking some for herself. "If you want more, you're welcome to take it," she smiled.

Alaric thanked her and prayed to Bahamut before eating his meal and drinking his juice. He found speech during gestating was vulgar and rude, so he only answered questions out of politeness while eating.

Nashita chattered like a chipmunk, wanting to know about Alaric and about the battle with the barbarians. Eventually, Giada told her to focus on eating her dinner or she wouldn't get to go to the village bakery for dessert. Immediately, the little girl turned her attention to her plate.

After Alaric finished his meal and drink, he leaned back in his chair and smiled. "It was a lovely meal, thank you, Giada."

Giada smiled back. "Thank you, Alaric. I'm glad you enjoyed it." Nashita went to put her plate and mug away, then she returned and tugged at Giada's sleeve. "May I go to the bakery now, Giada?" she asked. Giada chuckled and stood. "Pardon me for a moment, Alaric," she said, and left the room, returning a few moments later and handed Nashita a few silver and copper coins. "Don't forget to bring something back for me, too, all right?" she smiled. The younger girl nodded and rushed out the door, giggling.

Alaric watched as Nashita ran out of the house, then looked at Giada and smiled. He was unsure how to continue, he had never been in a situation quite like this before. Whether it was just him or not, there was no real way of telling, but Alaric felt as though there were a string connecting himself and Giada, and the string was pulled tight.

Giada took her and Alaric's plates into the other room then returned and leaned against the doorway. "What a day, huh?" she said. Her voice sounded casual, but beneath it there ran a slight undercurrent of nervousness and uncertainty. Alaric wasn't the only one feeling the tension in the room.

Alaric nodded at her statement, unable to find words. He wanted to tell her of his decision, but was totally unsure as to how articulate it. He also wanted to stand up, he wanted to go to her, he wanted her to come to him, but he couldn't make up his mind, so he just sat there, gazing up at her.

"Is something wrong, Alaric?" she asked, moving to the table and sitting at the chair across from him. "You look like you have something you want to say."

Alaric stood from where he sat and stepped over to the woman he wanted to have as his life mate. He took her hand and brought her up, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Giada? I have decided. I want you . . . as my mate." He leaned his head down and breathed in her scent, of the sea, and of battle.

"You want me--to be your--" Giada seemed stunned by the statement, then she slid her hands up his chest and linked them behind his neck. She kissed him gently and lingeringly, and when she pulled away she was smirking. "Took you long enough to decide."

Before they could act further, Nashita came back with the desserts.

Nashita only grinned upon seeing Giada and Alaric. She went into the other room to get plates and set three fruit tarts on the table. "I didn't know if you'd want anything so I got you one anyway," she said to Alaric, smiling innocently.

Alaric cleared his throat and let go of Giada, sitting back down in the chair he had been sitting in earlier. "Thank you," he told the girl before taking a bite. It was not often he ate something other than gems and fish, but he ate the tart that was before him.

Giada arched a brow at the little girl, and Nashita giggled. Both sat back down and at their tarts as well. When Nashita had finished her dessert, she ran out of the room and down the hall, giggling. Giada chuckled and shook her head. "What am I going to do with that girl?"

Alaric stood and walked back over to Giada, extending his hand to her again so she could pull herself up. "I do not know what you should do with the child, but would you like to take a walk?"

Giada took his hand and stood. "A walk would be lovely, Alaric."

The man-dragon kept her hand enclosed in his own and led them out the door of her house. "Shall we leave the village or stay here?"

Giada chuckled. "I see enough of the village every day. Let's walk outside Soma's boundaries for a little while."

"I'd love to," he told Giada as he led her out of the village. He pulled the woman closer to him and slipped his arm around the small of her back as they walked.

Giada smiled and slipped her hand around to rest on his back as well. There were more than a few young men who would be disappointed when they returned from their training, but she didn't really care at the moment.

Alaric loved to watch the ocean at sunset, and luckily, they had arrived at the coast line just in time to watch the sun go down. The sun was still more than halfway above the horizon when he sat down. He motioned for her to do likewise.

"Wow, it's so beautiful," Giada said softly, crossing her legs to sit beside Alaric in the sand. "I rarely get a chance to come out here at sunset."

Alaric smiled and pulled Giada closer to him, enjoying the closeness and the contact. "You should come out by my cave more often. I watch the sunset each night before I go to sleep."

Giada rested her head against his shoulder. "Would I still be living in the village as your mate?" she asked. "Or am I expected to come live with you in your cave?"

"Is it not customary in your village for the woman to move in with the man?"

Giada sighed. "Yes, that's true. It is customary, but I still have Nashita to think about, and I don't think she'll take easily to being taken from her home and her friends. Or me if it happened that way."

"If that is the concern, then what I could do is create a tunnel from my cave to the town. However," he looked down at her with a grave expression, "no one may know of this tunnel. It would stop half a mile from the village, and none but you and Nashita would be allowed access, without exception."

"Nashita can keep a secret. As can I. Especially one of such importance as that," Giada said solemnly. Then she leaned over and put a hand on Alaric's cheek, gently guiding his face toward hers to plant a kiss on his lips. "Thank you, Alaric. This means much to me."

He returned the kiss, setting his hand on her shoulder and pushing her back. As he was pushing her onto her back, he leaned forward and supported himself so he was hovering above her. "You are welcome." He leaned his head down and kissed her once more.

Giada reached up and twined her fingers through Alaric's hair and pulled him closer.

Now that Alaric's chosen mate had aroused his body, he would not rest until he had sated his lust, something he would not have done before he chose her to be his. The dragon-man took his hand from her shoulder and lowered it to her leg, then trailed it up, feeling the soft skin all the way up to her thigh.

Giada shivered and slid the leg upon which Alaric's hand rested up along his side, trailing her foot through the sand.

When Alaric's fingers touched a piece of cloth guarding her most precious area, he was confused. He had never been so modest as to wear a guard there except the clothing he found necessary to wear in human civilizations. Rather than puzzle over it, he pushed it aside and felt the soft mound that housed her most inner secrets.

Giada gasped, and her hips instinctively moved toward his hand.

He lowered himself so his body rested lightly against hers and kissed her once again. Alaric's thick index finger explored the lips and hood of her womanhood, finding and rolling over her clitoris.

Giada let out a little cry of surprise and pleasure, and her back arched, pressing her closer to him. Her breasts brushed against his chest, sending a shock through her.

His forked tongue probed into her mouth, one side brushing her tongue, the other flicking against the roof of her mouth. His index finger moved down an inch or so to her entrance and slipped inside her easily. It was amazing how slick her waiting flesh could be when plied in the right manner.

Giada moaned against his mouth, shivering. His tongue felt so strange the way it moved inside her mouth, but it also increased the pleasure she was feeling. This was a completely new experience for her.

Alaric removed himself from Giada and sat up, removing his clothing, his penis engorged. He pulled her skirt up her body to expose her nether quarters and smiled. He removed the cloth completely, pulling it down her thighs to her ankles. He set the head of his member against her opening, and began to push. It was a very tight fit, and if she had not been ready, he would never have gotten in. The walls of her vagina seemed to hug and squeeze against the length of his shaft as he buried himself to the hilt inside her. The head of his cock seemed to play at the beginning of her cervix.

"Nnh--ah--ahhn!" She almost screamed and clutched at him, involuntarily digging her nails into the flesh of his shoulders at the sensation of him so far inside her. Giada felt pleasure and pain equally, and she couldn't discern the difference between the two.

He had begun to pull out when she scratched into his shoulders, forcing him to arch his back and push back inside her. He could smell the tang of blood, both from himself and her, and he enjoyed it. He began to withdraw his long shaft once again, her vagina still clinging to him as if not wanting to let him go. He pushed back inside her and repeated this until he was able to move inside her quite easily.

Giada mewled and moaned with each new push and thrust, her hips starting to move with a rhythm that soon matched his.

Some of Alaric's semen had flowed freely leading up to his climax. Each of his grunts was more like a growl in the back of his throat, and he nibbled on Giada's neck as he continued rocking in and out of her tender body. When he was ready to release his seed into her, he had returned to the same spot he was in when the dragon-man had first entered his mate, with the head of his member playing against her cervix. Alaric lifted his head into the air and roared while he nearly exploded inside her, his cock throbbing and pulsating, pouring out warm sperm into her motherly cavern.

Giada cried out, tightening around him and arching her back. Her entire body trembled, every muscle tensed with the tidal wave of pleasure in which she felt she was drowning.

Alaric slid his hands up Giada's arms and grasped her wrists, holding them against the ground. He moved his hips so his still-hard member moved freely now inside her. His teeth nipped at the skin of her neck, drawing the tiniest amounts of blood.

She writhed in pleasure, letting out a low moan. She was now extremely sensitive to sensation, and even the sand against her back sent little shocks of pleasure through her.

"I want you to get on your stomach," he told Giada as he let go of her wrists and freed her from his embrace entirely.

She lay in the sand and fixed him with a confused look. "My stomach? Why?"

He hovered over her and leaned his head down next to her mouth and whispered in her ear. "Because it will feel much better."

The warmth of his breath on her ear made Giada shiver, and she nodded and rolled over to her knees, looking back at Alaric as if to ask if this was okay. The sand that stuck to her back sparkled with pieces of pulverized glass and glittered against her skin.

Alaric marveled at how much the sand on her back in the setting sun looked so very much like gems before grabbing onto her hips and sliding his member deep inside her. He moaned, which sounded more like a growl, and as he reached the root of his cock inside her, the head played at the entrance of her cervix. Both her insides and his shaft were covered with his spunk as he continued to ride her.

"Ahn!" Giada moaned, throwing her head back as he entered her again. With each thrust of Alaric's dick, her body rocked counter to his, her breasts swinging with an almost wilder motion than her hips.

Alaric leaned forward, moving his hand up her side until it was resting on the side of her head. He wrenched her head to the side and kissed her passionately, still pushing and pulling himself in and out of her. He tried to keep his voice lower while he was near her ears, but still had a low growl in the back of his throat.

The growl in Alaric's voice frightened Giada, reminding her how much stronger than her he was and how easily she could be broken if either of them made a wrong move, but the passion in his kiss and the love she felt for him and the pleasure going through her body right then wiped the fear away almost instantly.

Alaric sat on his knees once again and roared into the night, then laid on top of her once again, still enjoying the closeness and skin-to-skin contact. "Giada! Oh, Giada!"

Alaric's heat and the sound of his voice and the movement of both of their bodies combined in Giada, and she cried out, tensing and tightening around him as a continuous wave of pleasure swept through her. After the wave passed, she trembled like a leaf, having to lock out her arms to keep from collapsing face first in the sand.

He thrilled at her squeezing and trembling, the sensation of it all along his chest and stomach. Alaric quivered as he neared his second climax from it. Never before had he experienced such a feeling of euphoria, and he honestly hoped he could fill her again before he passed out from it. He needn't have feared, however, a few short minutes later he was ready. He had noticed that other than a few grunts and groans, Giada had gone very slack, but was still able to hold herself up. He gripped her hips once more and made one final thrust inside her, his grip tightening enough to bring her back to consciousness.

She moaned and cried out again, feeling his semen coat the walls of her womb. Without his hands gripping her hips so tightly, she really would have collapsed in the sand. She was spent. Exhausted. But it was a good feeling. Especially since it came from the one she loved.

Alaric slid his hands from hips to her stomach and picked her up, leaning back until he was laying in the sand. He would let her do the rest about laying against him.

Giada rolled onto her side and slid over so she was lying curled next to him with one leg still resting on top of him. She smiled blissfully and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Alaric," she whispered.

He turned his head to look at her and kissed her lips gently, then looked into her eyes. "I know."

She simply smiled again and cuddled closer to him, the sound of her breathing becoming soft and regular.

After Giada had fallen asleep, Alaric got up to get dressed. He picked his mate up and transformed to his hybrid form, flying her back to the village. He transformed back and carried her back to her home, setting her in her bed, and climbing into the bed next to her and going to sleep himself.

Giada woke the next morning to warmth against her back. She stretched and sat up, feeling a soreness in her muscles akin to what she would normally feel after working herself a little too hard the day before. She glanced down and to the side and gave a start, nearly falling off the edge of the bed, but catching herself before she did. Well, that explained the added warmth. Alaric still lay beside her. He must have brought me home and just stayed, she thought, a smile starting to spread over her face. She leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

The moment she kissed his forehead, Alaric reached up and grabbed Giada's hair at the base of her head and rubbed. "Giada, you must not startle my slumber. Had I not recognized your scent, your head surely would have been rent from your neck." He guided her head down and kissed her.

"Mm. Lucky me, then," Giada smiled. "I'll be sure to remember that. I didn't think you'd wake from a little kiss, though."

"I am a very light sleeper." Alaric wrapped his arms around Giada and rubbed her back.

Giada chuckled and kissed him, then she gently pulled away. "I have to make breakfast for myself and Nashita. I think there was some fish left over last night, if you'd like to stay."

"I believe I will stay for breakfast."

Giada smiled and slid out of the bed to change her clothes. She wasn't the least bit uncomfortable being bare before Alaric, and her skin still held a bit of glitter from the sand that had stuck to it the night before.

"I believe I will stay in here until breakfast is ready."

"All right, then," Giada said. "It shouldn't take too long." She went to the room across the hall to wake Nashita, and the little girl followed her to the kitchen. Soon the scent of cooking food filled the house.

Alaric, lured by the scent of cooking fish, left the bedroom and into the dining room, where he sat and waited for the food.

Nashita came into the room with a plate of fish and a mug of juice and set them in front of Alaric, then she went back into the kitchen. A moment later, both she and Giada brought their own plates and mugs to the table and sat. Giada smiled at Alaric. "I hope you enjoy your breakfast. I cooked the fish a little differently this morning than I did last night."

"Thank you, I'm sure it will be delicious." He thanked Bahamut before digging into his food.

The girls waited till he'd taken his first bite, since Alaric was the guest in their house, then ate their own breakfasts. After they'd finished, Giada took their plates and mugs into the kitchen and shooed Nashita off to play with the other children outside.

Alaric stood and walked into the kitchen, standing behind Giada and slipped his arms around her waist.

Giada smiled and leaned back against Alaric's chest, placing her hands on top of his. "Last night was amazing, Alaric," she said softly, kissing the underside of his strong jaw.

"Mmm, it was. But it would not have happened if you hadn't been there," which was his way of thanking her. Alaric snaked his right arm up Giada's torso and massaged her neck. "I must leave soon. I need to get started on the tunnel."

Giada sighed and turned to face him. "All right, then. I'll walk with you as far as your cave."

Alaric leaned down and kissed her, smiling. "Then let us go."

Giada kissed him back. Then she took his hand and led him out the door, quickly grabbing the sack she used for carrying pearls and coral on the way out.

After they left the house, Alaric took the lead through the village. He noticed some of the villagers speaking behind their hands, but paid no attention.

The village was quickly abuzz with the news that Alaric had paid them a visit for the third time in a month. Speculations flew as to why he might be there, and why every time people saw him, the dragon-man was with Giada. Giada tried to pay them no mind like Alaric did, but it was odd to have people greet her as they always did, then immediately turn to their neighbours and start whispering.

As they walked along to his cave, Alaric asked Giada a question rather nonchalantly. "How quickly would you like the tunnel to be finished?"

As was probably his aim, Alaric's question took Giada's mind off the whispering they'd left behind in the village. "As long as it takes," she said. "Whatever pace you work at, Alaric, that's fine with me."

"Then I will begin work on the tunnel immediately. I will not be in Soma until it is finished."

Giada gave his hand a squeeze. "I'll miss you, but perhaps the gossips of the village will have found something else to talk about by the time you have finished the tunnel."

Alaric pulled her close to him and hugged her. "You could always come by the cave, you know."

She chuckled. "I could, that's true." She reached up and crossed her hands behind his neck. "But I wouldn't want to get in your way. And, besides, they say absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"I suppose. Well, you do as you so choose. I will come get you when I am finished."

"All right, then." They'd reached Alaric's cave, so Giada kissed him, giving the dragon-man a long, sweet kiss goodbye, and headed on down the road to the beach.

Alaric watched her go to the beach before turning and heading into his cave, where he told his servants what would be happening over the next few weeks. They were only too happy to help their master with his work.

Over the next few weeks, while Alaric worked on the tunnel, Giada returned to her old schedule of pearl and coral diving, crafting, and teaching the village children dance and self-defense. Alaric's teaching had dramatically improved Giada's lessons, and even some of the older students who ought to have left the village to train under the soldiers in the city stayed to learn more from her.

After Alaric and his servants had finished the tunnel just outside the village, the dragon-man used the aforementioned end of the tunnel to visit with Giada. He was wearing his royal vestments of green, gold, and black silk, and had put his hair back into a ponytail. When he came up to the little square where she was training the younglings, he smiled at her incorporation of his style into her teachings.

Giada smiled, seeing Alaric watching her teach, and held up a finger to signal to him she was almost finished with the lesson. She called on one of the older students to show her what he'd learned. They sparred for a few minutes, Giada easily beating the young man, but she was modest about it. She helped the teen to his feet and dismissed the students. The older male students stayed back to help her clean up, attempting to flirt with Giada, and she played along, but ultimately she gently rejected their advances before leaving her teaching weapons and ribbons in neat piles in the square and walking up to wrap her arms around Alaric's neck and give him a kiss in greeting. "You've returned," she smiled, gazing up at him. "I take it that means our tunnel is finished?"

"Aye, lass," he said as he hugged her and returned the kiss with a quick peck. "But let us not speak of such things in the open. Let us return to your home." He let go his mate's body and bent to pick up her training gear.

"Oh, you don't have to do that for me, Alaric," Giada said, bending quickly to pick up the equipment. "But yes, I agree that it would be best that we return to my home at the moment." She picked up the ribbons and the wooden poles, carrying the poles over her shoulder in a fireman's carry, and led the way to her house, chuckling and grinning at him over her shoulder. "You can't have forgotten in a few short weeks that I managed fine on my own before I met you, Alaric," she teased gently.

As they walked, he responded to her tease in his accustomed manner. "It is only polite," he walked at her side to her house. "At any rate, I am happy to help you with your duties."

Giada chuckled again and rose up on her toes to give him a kiss on the underside of his jaw before opening the door and stepping ahead to set down her equipment while she held the door for him. "I haven't told Nashita about the tunnel yet. I know I can trust her to keep it a secret, but she can get impatient sometimes. After all, she's only seven years old."

After stepping through the door, he set down her supplies, and after she came in, he closed the door and picked her up. He was aware that he was acting bizarre as far as what she had witnessed thus far, but he didn't care. He hugged her tight and kissed her passionately before setting her down once more. "When would you like to leave to come and live with me?"

Whoa! I'm starting to wonder which of us missed the other more," Giada chuckled, kissing him back. "I'll be ready to leave with you once I've told Nashita of what's happening. I'll tell her tonight."

"Fine," he said. "When will she be returning?"

"An hour or two from now, I should think. She said she had a project she wanted to work on," Giada replied. "She took a few pieces of coral from my last haul and went to the workshop I have set up in the back."

Alaric picked Giada up once more and hoisted her up onto his shoulder, carrying her into her room. Once there, he lightly tossed her onto her bed and leaned forward to kiss the woman.

Giada let out a surprised squeak when Alaric picked her up, but it soon turned to a laugh. As he kissed her, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers in his hair.

The man took off Giada's training clothes as they embraced. Then Alaric removed his robe from his person and broke the kiss, moving away from the bed momentarily while he assumed his hybrid form. Kissing would no longer be an option, but that wasn't what he had in mind. He leaned back down to her nether region and flicked his bifurcated tongue across her womanhood.

Giada gasped. "Oh, Alaric!" She stifled a giggle. It tickled.

One end of Alaric's tongue probed inside his mate's mound, while the other licked at her clit. He set a massive hand on each leg and gently split them apart as he wriggled his tongue inside of her.

She moaned lightly, feeling his tongue rubbing and flicking against her insides.

Alaric stopped licking Giada's clit with the other half of his tongue and leaned his head down a little farther, sending his tongue deep inside her cavity. He made it a point to explore every inch of her insides.

She twitched and moaned a little louder. It felt almost like someone had slipped a feather or a leaf inside her.

After he had learned every millimeter of her innermost self, Alaric pulled his tongue out of her and gripped her by her legs, slipping his hands under her back. He lifted her up off the bed and lowered her down onto the tip of his eleven inch member. Once she was sitting on it, her lubricated pussy did the rest of the work, seeming to gobble his throbbing cock down as though it were a person who had not eaten in days.

Giada cried out in pleasure and leaned forward to wrap her arms around his scaly shoulders, already starting to pump her hips and ride him.

Alaric allowed Giada to simply continue what she was doing, the tightness of her cavern winning him over. To his surprise, Giada's body showed amazing elasticity in being able to take him in his entirety. He clamped down on her back, careful not to puncture her skin too deep with his scaly hands.

She shivered and held tighter to him as she slowly upped her pace. Giada's bare breasts brushed against the scales on his chest, sending a shock through her, and she tightened further around his shaft as her pleasure mounted.

Alaric grunted in pleasure each time she plunged herself down his shaft. Each time she came up, her insides clung to him from the tightness of the fit. Her breasts would hit and rebound off of the scaly plating on his chest, and it pleased him no end to watch them as she continued to ride him in this most intimate setting.

Giada gasped and moaned, each movement bringing her closer and closer to her climax. She'd closed her eyes when Alaric had pulled her onto him, but now she opened them and looked into his eyes, her love for the dragon showing clearly in her gaze.

Alaric's mouth was open in a panting grunt when she opened her eyes. He leaned forward a little and licked Giada's cheek even as she continued to bounce up and down on his cock.

The tickling sensation of his tongue on her cheek sent Giada over the edge and she cried out and clutched at her mate, her whole body trembling with her release.

The dragon man waited until his chosen mate was finished with her orgasm before laying the woman back down on her bed. He laid down on top of her with his scaly skin just barely touching hers and pushed inside her slowly until he couldn't anymore, dragging his bifurcated tongue along her lips until she opened them.

"Mmm...ahn." Giada opened her mouth and met Alaric's tongue with her own, delighting in the feeling of him still within her.

Alaric pulled his dick out of her until he was nearly at the tip, then thrust hard back inside her, repeating this several more times. He then stood and pulled her close to him, gripping her hips and began to slam his still-hard member into her again and again.

Giada let out little cries of pleasure with each thrust. Still holding tight to him, she wrapped her legs around his waist as well. The spikes on his back scraped against her ankles, and she shivered. She moved a hand down from his shoulder to the place where his wings met his back and lightly ran her fingers around the base of his wing.

When she touched the base of his wings, Alaric shivered and involuntary thrust inside her roughly. The dragon man moved his tail up and around to Giada's mouth, running the tip along her lips.

She grunted and arched her back. At the touch of his tail on her lips, Giada smiled and flicked her tongue out to lick the tip.

Alaric slipped the tip of his tail inside Giada's mouth as he continued to push himself inside her. He looked down and noticed that there was still a few inches not taken in by his mate's insides in this position.

She nipped gently at his tail, then sucked on it. She could feel that he wasn't as far inside her as before and wrapped her arms and legs tighter around his shoulders and waist, trying to pull him in closer.

As Giada pulled herself closer to him, Alaric saw the rest of his cock vanish inside his mate. After a bit, he pulled his tail out of her mouth and brought it around to peek the tip just inside her anus, watching her reaction.

She jerked, gasping, and both her pussy and ass twitched. "Don't--tease me like that," she said breathily. "If you're going--to stick your tail up my butt--then stick it in!"

Alaric nodded breathlessly and pushed his farther inside her, which put amazing pressure on his cock and stretched her ass hole to accommodate the tail. He wiggled it a little inside her which made his member twitch and tremble uncontrollably.

Giada cried out, arching and bucking beneath him. It hurt, being stretched like that, but at the same time, much of her pain was translated to pleasure. She could feel every inch of him that was inside her rubbing against every inch of her insides.

Unable to hold out any longer, Alaric growled loudly as he spurted his load deep inside her. His tail and member both twitched and jumped spasmodically while he climaxed.

At the same time, Giada climaxed as well, her whole body shaking like a leaf. She sank back on the bed and chuckled softly. "I'll be surprised if I don't find out I'm carrying your child within a few months," she said.

Alaric looked into her eyes and smiled his Draconian grin. "I would like nothing more." He pulled his member out of her before he pulled his tail out.

She let out a little moan and grinned back. "Same here, my love. Same here," she said, bringing a hand up to caress the underside of his jaw.

Alaric stood after a little while. "We should prepare for Nashita's return."

Giada nodded and got up from the bed. She smiled to herself as she pulled her clothes on. She was going to be deliciously sore by the next morning, she could tell. A moment later, she heard the front door open and her little sister's voice calling, "Gia, are you home?" Giada walked out into the hall. "I'm here, Nashita. Go ahead and get yourself cleaned up while I get dinner ready, okay?" The girl nodded and rushed to do as she was told. Giada headed into the kitchen, and soon the smell of cooking fish filled the small house.

After Giada had shooed Nashita away to clean herself, Alaric went out to the dining area and waited for the delicious smelling fish. It was not often that he had cooked fish, only raw from the sea.

As they sat down to eat, Nashita seemed to flit back and forth between fidgeting excitedly and eating the food on her plate morosely. Giada raised an eyebrow at the girl, who stopped fidgeting immediately. "Do we have to leave?" she asked. "I don't want to go away from my friends." Giada shook her head. "Nashita, that's what the tunnel I told you about is for."

Alaric waited until he was finished eating before speaking to Nashita.

“But what about your classes?" Nashita asked. Giada blew out a breath, chuckling. "It's the same as when I go diving, 'Shita. Just in the opposite direction. I'll still keep my teaching schedule. Just instead of leaving town to go diving, I'll be coming back into the village to sell my wares. And I'll use the tunnel to get back and forth from my workshop."

"You're sister is right, Nashita. You can use the tunnel to come back to the village every day, so long as nobody ever learns about it. I made sure to hide it as well as I could, but please keep it a secret."

Nashita nodded solemnly. "I can keep a secret." After that, she quickly finished her supper and cleaned up the table. "Can we see it now?" she asked.

"I do not see how that would be a problem," he responded as he backed his chair away from the table. "We will leave when you two are ready to leave."

"Just let me clean off those dishes, then we can go," Giada said, going into the kitchen. She came back out a couple minutes later, wiping her hands on her skirt. "All right, then. Let's go," she smiled.

Alaric picked up Nashita and when they were outside set her on his shoulders as they walked out of the village.

Most of the villagers were in their own houses, eating the evening meal with their families, as Alaric, Nashita and Giada left the village, so there was no gossip to be had this time.

A few weeks had passed, and the little family had fallen into a little routine quickly. While Giada went diving and Nashita went into town, Alaric would either convene with his servants or fly off the island in search of a new gem mine or some a new place to graze.

On one such day, Giada caught sight of something bobbing in the surf as she walked down the beach, heading for her usual jump-off point. At first, she thought it was a piece of driftwood or a tangle of kelp, but the shape and color was a bit off. By the gods! Was that a person? Giada dropped her sack and ran for the water, diving in and stroking swiftly for the far-off figure. She reached the figure just as they started to sink beneath the waves. She grabbed the person's arm and draped it over her shoulder so their head was above the water, wet fur brushing against her back. Wait, fur? No, she'd ponder that later. She didn't have time for it now. She swam back to shore and laid the person she'd rescued--well, hoped she'd rescued--on the sand. It was a woman with strange, mouselike features including a tail and ears. Giada blinked in wonder, then shook her head and put her ear to the mouse-woman's chest, listening for a heartbeat. She found one, but it was weak, and when she held a hand over the woman's mouth, she could barely feel the warmth of a breath on her palm. Immediately, Giada pressed the heel of her hand against the mouse-woman's chest and started pumping her arms, trying to force the water from the woman's lungs.

The mouse woman sputtered water after almost a minute of the woman's ministrations. She flopped and flailed as she spit up water, but after she was done, lay dormant once more.

Giada rolled the mouse woman onto her side so she wouldn't inhale the water she'd just spit up. When she was sure there was no more water in the other woman's lungs, Giada crouched and pulled the woman up so she was draped across her shoulders as she had been when Giada pulled her from the sea. The mouse woman was much heavier out of the water, and most of that weight seemed to be muscle. Giada shifted so she could carry her somewhat comfortably and headed back to the cave she shared with Alaric.

The female warrior was lucky to have no lost any of her equipment to the sea. She stayed unconscious for the next several hours.

While the other woman was unconscious, Giada had laid her out, with the help of one of Alaric's servants, in an empty chamber of the cave and found a pillow for the woman's head and covered her with a blanket from the servants' quarters. She'd also removed the woman's equipment so she could rest comfortably. It hadn't been moved far; just next to the wall a few feet away. Then Giada left the servant there to watch over the mouse woman and went into the area of the cave that she had turned into her workroom to work with the pearls and coral she already had since she knew she wouldn't be getting any diving done that day.

The male servant left with the mouse woman walked tentatively into Giada's work room. "Miss Giada? The female is awake."

Giada looked up from her work and stood, nodding to the servant. "Thank you." She left the workroom and went to the chamber where she'd left the mouse woman, looking in with a kind smile. "Ah, it's good to see you've awakened," she said.

The woman Giada was talking to watched her as she began donning her "clothes" once again. "The last thing I remember was being bucked overboard," she said simply.

"Overboard?" Giada asked. "Were you on a ship? I haven't seen any craft other than fishing boats around recently."

"I was on a ship, yes. That damned storm grew wicked with expedience." There was the sense that while she was telling the truth, she was merely conveying only enough information to answer the present question.

"Hm. You must have been far off-shore." It wasn't exactly a question. Giada sensed that the woman wasn't telling her more than the barest facts, but she wasn't going to ask more than she needed to know.

Ankh looked at the human before her. "I do not know how long I was in the ocean." She looked about the cavernous home of the dragon, then back at Giada. "Odd place for a human to dwell."

Giada chuckled. "I'm not exactly the average human, I guess you could say," she said. She leaned casually against the stone wall of the chamber, feeling slightly dizzy but not wanting to let on about it to a guest in her home. Especially a stranger who she'd pulled from the ocean only a few hours before. "I don't think I caught your name. I'm Giada."

The mouse gave the statement some serious thought, unsure of whether or not she wanted to give out her name to this human. "Ankh," was the simple reply. The woman had just saved her, apparently, so she would at least give her name.

Giada smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. "You must be hungry after however long you were floating with the tides. Is there anything you would like to eat? Or drink? Salt water doesn't do much to quench one's thirst after all," she said genially.

"Berries or fruits, if you have any," she said, reaching down to her flask. She pulled it out of the pouch and opened it to take a sip. "Water will be fine. If you have none, then I shall continue to drink this."

Giada nodded again and signaled to the servant from earlier. The man had been standing just outside the chamber and heard Ankh's request. He left and returned shortly with a bowl of fruits and a skin of water.

"My thanks," said Ankh before she sat on the floor of the cave and ate her fill and drank the water. After she was finished, she stood and stretched, feeling slightly fatigued even though she had been unconscious for however long. "I do not know how to thank you . . . Giada. I carry very little, as you can see."

Giada could see that Ankh was tired, and she shook her head at the woman's statement. "If you wish to thank me, then stay and rest for a while. I can see that you're tired, and for all that you've been unconscious for a few hours, that does not always equate sleep since your body was working the entire time to help you recover."

Ankh stared at Giada for a few minutes in utter indecision. [i]"Should I stay? She doesn't seem to have any pre-judgments about my form like the other humans . . . but does that mean she's trustworthy? She rescued me, but is it with ulterior motives? No, best to move on and recover alone."[/i] The mouse woman shook her head slightly before responding. "No, thank you. I have a matter of some urgency to attend to. I do need a way off this . . . island, didn't you say it was?"

Giada held herself back from letting out a disappointed sigh. She wasn't disappointed really; nor was she relieved. She would have liked for the mouse woman to stay and let herself recover a little longer, but it appeared she wished to do so on her own. "Yes, this is an island. A rather large one. You'll have to go to the city and buy passage on a ship at their port. It's about an hour's walk to the north."

Ankh scoffed a little at the comment about time. "Maybe for a human . . ." she then thought ill of her statement. "Sorry, my body doesn't exactly lend itself to the hospitality of most humans. Is it the only city to the north?"

Giada nodded. "Perhaps. And perhaps we shall meet again in a different set of circumstances. Ah, wait! Allow me to send with you some food so you at least have some nourishment on your travels," she said, signaling again to the servant.

The mouse stopped in mid-step and spun on her heel to face the human. "That really is unnecessary, but I will not refuse the aid." She waited until the manservant had brought her a pouch full of berries and other fruits, and nodded once more. "It is much appreciated. Safe travels." She deftly turned around and made her way out the mouth of the cave. Once she had exited, she walked for about five minutes before getting down on all fours and scurrying north in the direction of the city Giada had told her about.

A month or so later, Alaric hadn't yet returned home, and Giada was busy carving a giant piece of coral she'd found a few days before when she went diving. It was the largest piece she'd ever found intact, and her hands itched to work it. Perhaps she'd sell what she made from it when she finished, but she felt there was more of a possibility that it would be a gift for her draconic mate when he returned. As she worked, Giada lost track of time. She had no idea whether she'd been working minutes or hours when she heard Nashita's voice calling to her from some other chamber of the giant cave.

“Gia! Gia! Come here!" Her sister's voice was strident, excited.

“What is it, Nashita? What's wrong?" Giada sprang to her feet and rushed to find her sister, following the girl's voice. She found Nashita in Alaric's treasure cavern, amid his hoard.

“Nothing's wrong. Look what I found!" Nashita held out a large piece of parchment to Giada, who took it. It was a map, and at the top...their family crest. The shape of a shield engraved with crossed swords, and behind it an armoured mermaid with her tail curled around the bottom edge of the shield and a spear in her hand.

“Why would Alaric have something with our crest on it?" Giada murmured, running her fingertips over the embossed image. After a moment, she looked back to Nashita, and their eyes locked, a silent message going between them. The girl nodded solemnly and pointed to a spot on the map that had been circled.

“This looks like our village. I think this is a map of the island. Papa must have lost it. Maybe it'll help us find him."

Giada nodded. “That's exactly what I was thinking." She left the treasure cavern and found one of the servants. She told the woman to put together a couple travel packs for her and Nashita.

"Right away, mistress," said the woman servant and got the other servants to begin packing all the necessities for a large excursion. It took nearly three hours, but Giada would not be missing anything in this traveling pack. It was all packed carefully into three bags of holding, which made everything easier to carry, because the bags themselves only weighed about half a pound no matter how much one put inside them.

Giada thanked the servants and told them to relay the message to Alaric that she and Nashita had found a map that might lead them to their father and had gone to follow its trail if he returned to the cave before they did. Then the two left the cave and began their journey. The map led them first around the port city by way of the woods. Their path wound into the heart of the forest, and after a short while the atmosphere around Giada and Nashita began to feel almost electric, as if there were watching eyes aside from those of the animals hidden in the shadows of the trees.

A man standing nearly six foot four, who had a full beard and a wild look in his deeply brown eyes, walked past the two women as they walked through the woods. He glanced in their direction, but made no other recognition of their presence.

Giada and Nashita shared a nonplussed look. Well, that explained the feeling of being watched, though the man had not seemed to really notice them. They continued on their way, thinking no more of the encounter. By the end of the day, they had returned to the road that ran along the outer edge of the forest and were nearing a village. "Let's find an inn to spend the night. I don't relish the idea of traveling through the night," Giada suggested. Upon entering the village's inn, the two found a table and sat to their supper. Barely had they started eating when a shadow fell across the table, blocking the lantern light. "Hello ladies." Even without looking up, Giada could tell the man was drunk. The scent of alcohol was strong around him, and Giada could see her sister wrinkle her nose in disgust across the table. Hoping the man would leave them be, Giada kept her gaze on her plate.

Swaying heavily from the drink, the man edged his way closer to the older woman, apparently encouraged by her silence. "Hhhhhhey, don'tcha hhhhhhhhear me talkin'?" He set his hand on what he thought was the table and stumbled a little. "I'us thinkin' mebbe ya'd like'a go'n gedda reum wimmee."

Giada continued eating her meal, a barely noticeable exhale through her nose the only sign she'd heard him. Following her big sister's lead, Nashita also continued eating. Perhaps if they ignored him, the drunkard would leave. Giada hoped that would be the case.

Steadying himself on the table, the drunken man turned to the young girl across the table. "Mebbe you'd like'a hhhhhhave a go wimmee, eh?" He lurched forward, whether it was loss of balance or on purpose, Giada couldn't tell.

Her eyes narrowed, and she stood, reaching across the table to grab the front of the man's shirt and turn him away from her sister, at the same time pushing him so he stumbled back and fell onto the wooden floor. Giada stood over the drunken man so she had one food on either side of his waist. "Hitting on me is one thing, buddy. Trying to get my nine-year-old little sister into bed with you is something completely different," she growled.

The man's brain swirled, and he reached up nearly futilely to grab at Giada. The moment his fingers brushed her skin, he reached forward to grab at her shirt in an attempt to pull her down. "Now tha's moar lygit! C'mere en gimme a kiss!"

Rather than struggling, Giada allowed the man to pull her down, bringing up her knee so it caught him in the groin and catching herself on her hands before her mouth could meet his. A split second later, she'd rolled to her feet and was glaring down at him again. "Nice try, bastard," she hissed. Strangely enough, nobody had tried to stop her yet. In her own village, the moment it appeared a fight was brewing, whoever was around would gather to halt it.

The man curled up while he was still on his back, howling in pain. He tossed and turned from side to side until he was finally on his side, holding his groin and audibly sobbing.

"Maybe next time you'll think before hitting on a child," Giada said coldly, spitting on the man's cheek and turning back to the table. Behind her, a couple men grabbed the one sobbing on the floor and dragged him out the door. At their table, Nashita was still sitting with her head bowed and her eyes on her plate, but Giada could see tear tracks on the girl's cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Nashita's shoulders. "It's all right, 'Shita. He's not going to hurt you. Sissy's here." Another shadow fell over them, and Giada looked up, snarling, but it was only the innkeeper.

The innkeeper watched her after the sot was carried off, obviously nervous at her strength. He was by no means a small man, but he seemed the soft kind of large, the type who might be extremely slow to anger, and even at the greatest extent of such anger, would still be impotent.

Giada's snarl turned into an expectant expression. She cocked an eyebrow, clearly waiting for the innkeeper to speak. When he didn't, she sighed and stood, keeping an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Is there something I can do for you, innkeep?" she asked politely, her tone the complete opposite of how it had been when she'd defended her sister. When the man continued to stare and fidget, Giada sighed again. "Might I trouble you for a place to stay the night?" she asked. "My sister and I have been traveling all day, and we'd rather not continue on through the night. Would you happen to have any vacant rooms?"

"Yes, we have some rooms vacant. Rooms usually run five gold a night."

Giada reached into one of the bags of holding and pulled out five gold pieces. "We'd like a room with one bed. We'll be off in the morning."

The innkeep took the coins and went back behind the counter to grab the key. He then waited for the woman to come collect it.

Giada took the key and returned to the table where her sister sat. In one hand, she took two of the bags of holding, and in the other Nashita's hand. The girl carried the last bag, and the two of them headed to the room Giada had paid for. It took a while, but she eventually calmed Nashita enough for the both of them to fall asleep curled up in each other's arms. The next morning, Giada woke before her sister. She crossed the room to the wash basin and splashed some water on her face to wake herself, then went to the window. A woman leading a goat down the road stopped to wave, and Giada waved back, then turned from the window and woke Nashita. Together, they gathered up their travel packs and went into the inn's main hall for breakfast.