He was born two thousand years ago and was given the name Darinsk. He was the prince of his clan. His whole life he had trained to take on the role of leader, but after a millennium he became tired of his training and left the Dragon Realm to view the world. For the first time in his life, he encountered humans and they fascinated him. He, like all dragons, could take any form he wanted, so he disguised himself as Davion, a simple traveler. As he traveled through the human world, he saw wonderful sights and exciting new concepts, love, fear, and even death. For a Dragon, love was impractical and fear was just as unreasonable. Though Dragons died, their deaths were different and far more detached from their lives than humans. Humans felt their mortality every minute of their lives. They were cautious, even timid.

While traveling through the kingdom of Redim, he encountered a young witch. She was quite taken with him, and he was curious of what she intended. After several days, however, the witch figured out that her new lover wasn�t an ordinary man, but instead thousand-year-old Dragon. Hurt by what she thought was a mockery of humanity; she drew on the power of the spirits and locked him into this human form. She told him that his powers as a dragon would still work, as well as his ability of flight, but when he was not using his wings, he would revert to human form. The curse would last for a thousand years; time enough for him to learn respect.

His first instinct was to fly home, but he found that his fellow dragons no longer would associate with him. They believed him to be useless, completely tainted by human touch. His elders denied his plea for help and his family abandoned him. He had nothing left for him in the Dragon Realm, so turned his back on the only place he knew of as home.

He heard rumors of great Council of power on the isle of Ostandi and hoped that they might be able to lift the curse. So he flew to Aerith and sought the Council�s aid in removing the curse, but they would not. The Council decided that he would be of use to them as a servant and strengthened the curse to keep him in human form unless they allowed him to change. With nowhere to turn and no home left to him, he had no choice but to do as the Council demanded. And so, for the last 998 years he had served the Council and done their bidding.

�And you never sought help from anyone outside of the Council?� Ardette demanded exasperatedly.

�I couldn�t,� Davion explained. �Every time I even mentioned the fact that I was a Dragon, the Council removed my powers and people just thought that I was just an illiterate lunatic. And with my powers removed, no Priestess could sense the Dragon in me, so they just turned me away.�

�Have they ever explained why they want you as their servant?� Ardette was extremely angry at the idea of enslaving someone with no reason.

�They told me that I would understand when the time came,� Davion said in a quiet voice.

�I think that�s the most idiotic excuse for turning a powerful Dragon prince into a callboy,� Ardette exclaimed. �Why don�t they just put you on a leash and tug every time they need a favor!�

�Well, here is An Serid,� Davion pointed to the small city lying around the river ahead of them.

The city of An Serid was a simple city that had grown around the natural resource the river provided. One could see, even from a distance, that the city on the north side had a very different system than the south city. The northern city was tightly built, with buildings crowding each other. The southern city was well organized and absolutely beautiful. As they approached the northern city, Davion surprised Ardette by turning onto the road leading into the city.

�I need to talk to someone in the city,� he said by way of explanation. Ardette thought it best not to ask. Davion was very serious at that moment and his aura whirled about him with great intensity. Obviously, Davion was not in a mood to be argued with. The guards at the city gates stood stiffly and paid no attention to them as they entered through the formidable entrance.

An Serid was bustling with people. They all seemed very open and light-hearted, as if the oppressiveness of their homes had no effect on them. Ardette was completely astounded by the good-natured greetings she received as they rode down the scrupulously clean street. Davion reined in his horse by a tavern and politely helped Ardette off of her horse. As they entered the tavern, Ardette gasped in astonishment. The tavern was the most beautiful place Ardette had ever seen in her life, save the Tower. Everything in the grand room was perfect. No messes were left for more than a few seconds and the whole place didn�t carry the stench that was characteristic of a tavern. Ardette felt at home in the wondrous place. They sat and Davion ordered a meal for them. He then rose from his seat and bowed to Ardette.

�If you�ll excuse me, I have an appointment with an old friend,� He said with a subdued voice and walked into a back room.

Ardette began to wonder about her escort. He seemed to be all courtesy, but when something came up, he dropped that civilized fa�ade and was the coldest, most reptilian man she�s ever seen. She was certain it had to do with his Dragon heritage. As a serving woman brought the meal to her table, Ardette began to think of any reason that the Council would have for enslaving a Dragon to their whims.

The Council didn�t just take control of people�s lives like that. It was formed three thousand years ago as a means to stop corruption in the Arts society. The members were chosen based on their unbiased approach to using the Arts. And the only way for the Council to have kept Davion enslaved was for the Immortal members who have always been on the Council to have set the curse. The Immortals did not meddle in the lives of any creature, unless they had a good reason to do it. The cryptic answer that Davion would know in time also made no sense. If anything, the Council should have been glad to let their new pet know the reason behind his enslavement. They don�t do anything without a reason and they never have a reason unless it is to teach someone something. But whom was this lesson for? Davion was just an innocent pawn caught in a witch�s spell. And the witch was long gone, so it could not be for her benefit. So what was the lesson? Ardette boggled over this as she ate with a ferocity brought on by both hunger and aggravation.

But now, he felt as if this meeting was the most unnatural event in the history of the world. He was impatient and aggressive. He wanted to be done with it, as quickly as possible. He wanted to be back with� No he was a Dragon. Emotions were irrational and completely volatile. Feelings were beneath his dignity. Still he saw her face every time he closed his eyes. Her voice filled his ears in even the most deafening crowds. No he was a Dragon. Above everything, he was a Dragon. He could not, would not care for her. He became much calmer at this revelation and walked up the muddy, trash-filled streets to the ferry that would take him back to her. Back to where he belonged.

�Would you mind explaining why we went through the city?� Ardette asked curiously.

�I needed to speak to an old friend,� Davion explained. �He keeps an eye on the road ahead and lets me know if I am likely to run into trouble. He comes in handy when I have to travel in my human form.� His matter of fact tone told Ardette more than anything, that Davion was hiding something. Also, there was no explanation as the change in Davion�s aura. It might have been the anxiety of not knowing the road ahead that had been calmed by a trusted friend�s assurances, but even a novice could see that was only one side of it. There were dark currents in his aura that had calmed so quickly that Ardette was astounded that there was a magical overtone in the air. Whatever it was, Davion was keeping secrets, and Ardette was going to find out why.

They traveled on the road heading west for another week. During this time, Ardette started to see the subtlety of a dragon's emotions. Though she was sure he would never attest to it, Davion felt a great deal of often-conflicting feelings. There were times when Ardette was almost dizzy from the sense of his aura. Other times, he was so still that she could have mistaken him for dead. One of the strangest senses she got from him was when he would notice her looking at him. His aura would swirl violently and then completely vanish before she could sense what had caused the torrential outburst. She did get the feeling that whatever was the cause of those violent upsets; it had to do with her in a very personal way.

Ardette started to notice some strange behavior on her own part as well. There were times when her mind would wander and her eyes would immediately find him. She would study him for hours sometimes without even knowing what she was looking for. When she would realize what she was doing, she would immediately take her eyes away from him, only for those eyes to return to the object of their scrutiny again a few minutes later. She would also catch herself thinking about what life would be like with... No, she was a Priestess. She had a duty to complete her training and to find a decent man that would give her daughters to raise in the priesthood. He was a Dragon. There was no way he could be found suitable. But to think of not seeing him anymore was painful. No, she was a Priestess. She had a duty and she would follow it. Satisfied with that conclusion, she began to let her mind wander and her eyes once again sought his face.

For the first time, Ardette noticed the physical changes in her sister. Her once gray eyes were now a blazing amethyst. Her skin was always a perfect alabaster, but now it seemed paler. The major change, however, was the obscure black design that marked her skin just above her breast.

�Hello, sister dear,� Darienne said with an ironic note in her voice. �How have you been? I hope your travels haven�t been too stressful.�

�Not at all, Darienne,� Ardette said civilly. �I found my travels to be most educational. I hope you don�t mind, but I had to destroy your golems. They were becoming a nuisance. You understand, don�t you?�

�Of course I understand. I could say the same thing about mother, only I really don�t care if you minded.�

�Do I detect the hint of regret in your voice, Darienne? What�s the matter, sister dear? Having second thoughts, are we?�

�Not at all. The only thing I regret is that I can�t see it again. You know how much I adore pain and suffering.�

�Actually, I wouldn�t know,� she said as she gave Darienne a long, straight-forward look, �Come to think of it, I haven�t seen you at all in the past year and I have no idea what changes have come over you. It�s not like I really care at this point. You killed our mother and that is unforgivable. Whether you did it because of something in the past or just for kicks isn�t the issue here. You are a murderer, end of story.� Ardette looked at the pain the back of Darienne�s eyes and realized that her sister might not be so cold after all. She sighed, �Darienne, what happened?�

Darienne gave her sister a shocked, almost apologetic look and replied, �I don�t know, Ardette. Things have changed a lot.� She let out an explosive breath and her head bowed in defeat, �I guess it wasn�t meant to be.�

�What wasn�t meant to be?�

�My destiny with you and mother. I guess I just can�t get that back now,� Then she looked up with an evil glint in her eyes, �Of course, I�d say it was worth it.� She gave Ardette an ironic smirk.

�Very well, if that�s the way you are going to be, we�ll just pick up where we left off.�

�That sounds good to me.�

�What brings you here, Darienne?�

�That�s it?� Darienne asked in confusion. �You�re not going to fight me?�

�Why would I waste my energy on a shadow?� Ardette demanded. Darienne gasped. �Did you really think I was so inexperienced that I wouldn�t recognize an astral message? Just leave Darienne. I don�t know why you�re here, but I don�t really care anymore. You are dead to me, sister dear and the next time we meet I�ll make sure that you�re dead to more than just me. Now, leave; you�re beginning to bore me. Helion Illuminatus.� With that spell, Darienne�s shadow vanished. Ardette collapsed on the bed, crying bitterly.


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