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The Persistent Dragon: Ending and Epilogue

Later that afternoon ...

Jacob's parents arrived not long after he set down the phone. Lucille burst through the entrance to Hope Memorial, nearly bowling over the chaufeer that held the door for her. The woman was dressed in her Sunday best, and had to hold up her dress at the knees as she raced into the waiting room. Her wide-brim lace hat bobbed with the weight of fake flowers and stuffed birds. "Where is she?!" she shrieked loud enough to wake the dead. "Where is Penny?"

She was led by a nurse to where Jacob outside the door and immediately gave her son a big hug. "How is she?"

"A little loopy from all the morphine. But mentally, she seems to be all there."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Lucille rushed past her son to give the dragon a hug around the neck. "Penny! I'm so glad you're okay! We've all been worried sick!"

Jacob couldn't help but smile. "Careful, Mother. You don't want to upset her wounds."

The dragon let out a quiet churr and nuzzled the woman back, getting a bit of powder on her scaly cheek. "Thanks, Lucy."

Lucille stepped back and wiped a tear from her eye. "If you had taken a turn for the worst, I just … why, I wouldn't know what to do! And Jacob would—" Lucille stopped short and collected herself, anxiously straightening her dress out of habit. "Well! When you've healed up enough to come home, I'll have the chef cook up the biggest feast a dragon could have! Lamb flank, porterhouse steak, smoked pork rump … anything you want!"

Penelope gasped in reflex, which caused her to yelp in pain. "Ow! Really?" She looked up at Lucille with the eyes of a child gazing upon their birthday gifts.

Jacob laughed. He rubbed Lucile's back. "Don't get her excited, Mother. She can hardly take a breath without pain. And please keep your voice down: this is a hospital, after all."

Lucille took out a paper fan and fanned herself. "Why, yes, of course. You must forgive a lady's excitement. Penny, do rest up. Tomorrow I'll try and find time to stop by with a good book. We can catch up on our dashing princes and daring adventurers."

"Eeep!" Penelope smiled ear-to-ear and her tail twitched in excitement. "Really really?"

Lucille took the dragon by the cheeks. "Of course, Penny. Why, you may be a dragon, but you're still family to me."

Lucille then stepped aside, and Desmond entered the room. Jacob's hands anxiously clenched the bedpost. His father had still not spoken a word to Jacob since the docks. Desmond took off his bowler hat and approached, a blank expression on his face. But then, he took a knee before the bed and met the dragon eye-to-eye.

"You saved my son's life …" he half-whispered. His lips quivered, as if searching for more to say. "Why? Why not just ... save yourself?"

Penelope cocked her head. "Because I love Jake. I wouldn't leave him for the world."

Desmond flinched and his expression soured at the mention of love. But … the man swallowed the answer down and accepted it. He nodded in silence, then stood up and gave Penelope a pat on the forehead. "Thank you," he gently hushed, and turned away.

"Aaaand?" Jacob pressed.

Desmond stopped in his tracks and grit his teeth. But then, the man sunk his shoulders and turned back to face Penelope. And then he said something Jacob had never heard him say before. "I was wrong," Desmond admitted. "My decision to put you in harm's way was …" The man stared at the ground as he searched for acceptable words. "Short-sighted."

"And stingy," Jacob added. "And careless. And cruel. And—"

"Boy, don't push it," Desmond growled. "But—" he sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Jacob rushed into his father's arms and hugged him tight. "I needed that. More than you know."

Desmond returned the hug. "This dragon nonsense aside … you're still my son." Lucille jabbed Desmond in the side, causing him to grunt. "And ... I love you."

Jenivive burst into the room, carrying a rubber balloon tied to a small gift-wrapped package. "Penelope! You're awake—Oops!" she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Jacob and his father embracing. "Did I just ruin a family moment?"

Like a flip of a switch, Desmond pushed his son away and put on a gruff face. "No. Not at all."

"Jenny!" Penelope crooned. "Hiii!"

Jacob laughed. "Jenivive, what do you have, there?"

"Oh! Well, it's just a little silly thing I picked up on the way here, it's nothing, really …"

"You didn't have to …"

"I figured Penny could do with a little cheer, and—"

"I mean: I know money is an issue for you—"

"Jacob," Jenivive stamped her foot down. "Don't embarrass me. Besides … Penny's worth it. Now shush."

Jacob kept his mouth shut tight and stepped aside for Jenivive to approach the bed. Penelope put out grabby paws. "Ooh! Ooh! Is it food? Can I eat it?"

Jenivive faltered. "Erm, no—I wasn't sure if you were healthy enough to … well, just open it!"

Penelope's claws tore apart the paper with ease, revealing a dragon doll made from hand-knit wool yarn, with button eyes and bead stuffing. The balloon was tied around its waist, almost allowing it to float. Penelope gasped in awe. "Aww, it's so ... so cute!" She nuzzled the dragon's fuzzy nose. "And what's this?" Penelope tugged on the balloon with a mixture of wonder and confusion.

Jenivive smiled. "That's a balloon, Penelope."

Penelope put on a show of exaggerated surprise. "Oooh, a balloon … what's a balloon?"

Jacob laughed. "It's just a toy, Nel. It's full of a gas that's lighter than air, so it floats."

"Oooh, fun!" Penelope continued to tug on the balloon, delighting in how it jumped and bobbed in the air.

Jenivive laughed. "I figured she'd get a kick out of it. Anyway …" she leaned close to Jacob. "So how is she … up here?" she whispered, pointing to her head.

"She seems fine. But … only time will tell for sure."

Jenivive rested a hand on Jacob's shoulder. "I suppose that's as good as we can hope for. Jacob, I'm sorry you had to go through this … it's been a nightmare, but I'm so glad that you and Penny came out of it alive."

Jacob looked down at the floor, his mind jumping to the three men who died last night. "Yeah … by the way, how's Jasper?"

"He's doing well. His former keeper patched him up good—though the bullet in his neck almost tore his jugular on the way out. He's especially upset about his right horn. It will need a few screws—or even a shrink-fitted tube—to keep it from cracking further. I told him to think of it like a badge of honor, that it's proof of his courage … but you know how proud dragons are of their horns. He's convinced it makes him look like a deformed freak. I can't even let him near a mirror right now."

Jacob chuckled. "He'll learn to live with it, in time."

"In time …" Jenivive agreed.

"Thanks for coming, hon," Lucille said to Jenivive. "And you even brought a gift—that was very sweet of you."

Jacob's nose wrinkled. "Hon? Wait, since when is Jenivive 'hon' to you? I thought you barely knew her!"

Lucille flinched. "I told you, dear: we met once—"

Jenivive held a hand up. "Mrs. Broyal? With all due respect, I think Jacob deserves the whole story." She met eyes with Jacob, a solemn look on her face. "Jacob, your mother loves you very much. She thinks about you all the time. And when we met to discuss boarding Penelope, she saw how dragons were a big part of my life and wondered …" Jenivive nibbled on her lip in hesitation. "If perhaps you and me should get to know each other. We've been writing letters to each other ever since."

"Mother?!" Jacob yelped, equal parts offended and shocked. "You had our meeting … arranged?"

Lucille attempted to look as innocent as a conniving match-maker possibly could. "Jacob, I know you've shown little interest in the ladies within our social circle, so I was hoping that maybe … if you met someone more like yourself—someone who loves dragons—then you would …"

Jacob glanced to his father, who grumpily cleared his throat. "Don't look at me, this was your mother's idea."

Jenivive avoided eye contact. "Your mother swore to me to keep it a secret. She was afraid that if you knew, you'd grow suspicious and resist. So our luncheon at the Dark Horse Grille—when we first met ... that miiiight have been a little ... rehearsed."

Jacob's eyes narrowed to slits. "Was Jasper in on it, too?"

"Possibly …" Jenivive lingered on the word as she played with a lock of hair. "Regardless, that's all in the past. What matters is that I like you, Jacob, and I'm really glad we met." She smiled.

"And … and you're okay with this?!" A shocked Jacob asked his mother. "She's a commoner!"

Lucille brushed the notion away with a flick of her wrist. "As was I, before I met your father! I suppose that people will gossip; but they will always gossip. What matters more is that my son is happily married."

"Married?! " Jacob shrieked. "Mother! We haven't even gone on a date yet!"

Jenivive played with a lock of her fiery hair. "Mrs. Broyal? Erm, let's not put the cart before the dragon, shall we?"

Lucille fanned herself. "Ah … well—I suppose I meant eventually married!" She laughed—a high pitched noblelady's laugh, perfectly prim and modest.

Jacob ran his hands through his hair. "I can't believe this …" he sat down on the edge of Penelope's bed (who was still engrossed in her toy and hadn't paid attention to a single word).

"Fly, dragon!" Penelope tossed the doll to the far corner of the room. She pouted when it fell to the floor. "Aww, it's too heavy ..."

Laughing, Jenivive picked the doll back up and gave it back to her. "You'd need a few more balloons for that, Penny."

Jacob froze in epiphany. "Wait a moment ... Nel, let me see that doll." He picked up the dragon doll and turned it over in his hands, hefting the weight of it. "This gives me an idea ... a really crazy idea ..."

12 months later ...

Fresh out of college with his business degree, Jacob Broyal—with the full blessings of his father—established Dragonwing Express LLC, a subsidiary of the Beretti Mountains Trading Company. While the concept of a dragon delivery service was unconventional, unprecedented, and met with a large degree of public resistance, Jenivive Harston was hired as a marketing consultant, and found early success pushing an aggressive advertising campaign touting affordable, reliable same-day package delivery within the Royal City. Penelope was used as the public face of the company, and quickly became popular due to her cheery and affable disposition.

Within two months, Tailwind Express employed over 30 dragons living in Jenivive's dragon shelter, giving many of them steady employment for the first time in their lives.

Jacob used his initial profits to hire a team of engineers to design a floating wagon, using helium as ballast. He dubbed the initial design a "dirigible", and worked closely with dragons to design a comfortable harness and reliable steering. Jasper was credited with performing the first successful test flight of the dirigible system. The Mark I models were rolled out within six months. They were capable of hoisting two hundred pounds of bulk cargo and could be comfortably pulled by a single dragon. Under sunny weather with strong thermals, a well-conditioned dragon could remain in the air for an entire day without needing rest. Mark II dirigibles were already in development, constructed from an exceptionally light and strong type of wood called bamboo, imported all the way from Akkadia.

Trade routes were opened to the nearby cities of Hanlow, Newhaven, and Cheston, catering to priority delivery and express shipments of small cargo loads such as jewelry, textiles, and fine ceramics. Dragonwing Express bypassed winding roads, difficult terrain, and dangerous territories full of brigands and aggressive wildlife, offering faster and safer transport than land caravans. And although the public perception of dragon-led caravans were initially poor (owing to concerns of over untrustworthy dragons), Dragonwing Express led by example, offering 100% monetary reimbursement for missing or lost cargo. A strong accountability system headed by Jenivive and Jasper discouraged stealing on the job.

Eight months later, Tailwind Shelters was torn down and reborn as the headquarters of Dragonwing Express: a lavish three story facility with housing for up to 80 dragons, with the finest furnishings a dragon could ask for. Jacob named Jenivive as co-owner of the new establishment and was written into the deed. The facility required a number of human hands: accountants, middle management, dragon handlers, handymen ... Jenivive insisted on hiring locally, injecting much-needed money into the impoverished Eastern Quarter of the Royal City.

A full three years since the shooting at the docks, Jacob Broyal controlled the fastest-growing company in the city. Newspapers and the social elite gossiped about Royal City's youngest successful businessman and his eligibility as a bachelor. He and Jenivive Harston often appeared together in public, and were rumored to have purchased a modest estate on the upper hills of the city's Northern Quarter (with accommodations for two certain dragons). However, Jacob evaded questions regarding their relationship, preferring to keep his private life ... private.

Nowadays, Jacob is often seen alongside a dragon of lavender scales and bright blue eyes, relaxing with a cup of tea on the front patio of his home. Passersby would note how happy the pair look together, with the dragon resting her head in his lap and looking up at her partner in adoration as he read aloud to her a book.

"... and they lived happily ever after. The end." Jacob set the book down on the table and took a sip of his tea.

"Squeeee!" Penelope squeaked. Her tail curled and swished along the stone floor. "Read it again!"

Jacob nearly spat out his tea. "But we just finished it!"

"But the prince was so cute! And the ending is so happy!" Penelope trilled.

Jacob took a finger and gently guided his dragon's chin towards him. "You're adorable, Nel. You know that?"

"Yep yep!" She nodded exuberantly. The dragon let out a satisfied sigh and stared off into the city skyline and the waning summer sun that dipped below its horizon. "Jake, do you think we'll ever get a happy ending?"

Jacob cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, at the end of the book, the prince becomes a hero, saves the kingdom, gets a parade and a celebration, and he has a whole book-full of people giving him gifts and cheering for him ..." The dragon sighed again. "That'd be a nice happy ending ..."

"Penelope ..." Jacob leaned forward and brushed his fingers against the scars where bullets had once been. "You are my happy ending."

And the dragon was all smiles.

THE END

Author's note:

It's done. Finally, The Persistent Dragon is done.

It feels like a huge accomplishment to have this story done, even if a lot of the content is weird dragon smut. Yes, this story started as porn, and I am still ashamed of it ... but as the chapters continued, my characters and my world grew. I started using this story as a platform to experiment: a way to explore world-building, characterization, and other aspects of writing ... all to prepare for my first novel.

I've learned so much about storytelling in the past year, and I put a lot of what I've learned into the last few chapters of The Persistent Dragon. And I think it shows. To go back and compare writing styles of my first chapter, and the intro to The Best-Laid Plans ... well, I can't do it without cringing. It is like looking at an entirely different author.

I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has ever commissioned me, left a comment, or simply given my stuff a read. When I first started writing I never thought it'd take me this far.

Now all I have left to do is to finish my novel and search for a publisher. Wish me luck.

And thank you, once again.