Unlikely Pairs - The Dragon Ch. 04

DISCLAIMER:

The following starts off as a slow-burn romance without any spicy action for a while. As well, this is my first time putting to words a story idea I've had for a long time, and my first foray into proper writing in general.

There is some swearing in this chapter that will continue to be present moving forward. As well, some characters are depicted as having accents adjacent to Irish-English.

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[Mid February]

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After sharing a flight together that had overall been a life-changing experience for Lewis and Jiva, but also served to remind Jiva of past memories she didn't wish to dwell on, things had become quieter in the week that followed. The dragon became a bit more reserved and less talkative compared to before, and Lewis was becoming less focused in his work as he continually tried to strike up conversation with her.

She didn't reprimand him or get frustrated with his distractions, but she politely declined to speak further almost every single time.

On this particular morning, the two of them were still sleeping in the bed chamber when Jiva suddenly perked up at something she sensed. Whatever it was she was sensing had her on edge, as she began to utter a low growl beneath her breath that had stirred the artist from his rest. As she stood up and walked toward the wall gate, Lewis groggily sat up in his bed and turned his head to see Jiva heading through. The sight of her leaving in a tensed up state immediately snapped the artist out of his sleepiness, prompting him to throw away the blanket covers and run after Jiva.

Jiva was lumbering at a faster pace than normal, and Lewis struggled to keep up with her. By the time the wall gate opened up to the garden, the artist had only barely caught up to the dragon and was breathing hard as he took a moment to catch his breath. When he looked up, he saw that Jiva had gone into the garden chamber and was prowling around with her snout close to the ground, trying to sniff out something like a predator catching the scent of prey on a game trail.

She didn't heed his calls at all as he yelled to get her attention.

"HEY! JIVA! What are you looking for?!"

After a bit more sniffing around, she stopped dead in her tracks and snapped her head to her right side. The dragon squinted a bit before then suddenly letting loose a small billow of fire straight into the blueberry plot. While most of the flames simply scorched the ground and burnt up the bushes, some of it actually went into a previously unseen hole.

Only a few moments later, several small figures burst out of the dirt from the strawberry plot adjacent to the blueberry plot, with flames following suit from the hole they came from. The two larger figures were naturally yelling profanities at their predicament, and seemed to be speaking in accents akin to Irish.

"SHITE!! FECKIN' SHITE!!"

"MOVE YER FECKIN' ARSE, SULLIVAN! I GOT THE SPUDS!!"

"I AM, CELINE!! SONUVABITCH!!"

Upon catching sight of the small figures, Jiva let out a huge roar that shook the entire garden chamber and caused immense pain to the ears of Lewis and the unknown figures, forcing them to stop in place and cover their ears. When the group recovered, they attempted to try and flee once more, but Jiva let loose flames in front of any direction they attempted to run in. She had soon cornered them in a ring of fire where the only side not blocked off by flames was where she was standing.

The dragon spoke with a fury that Lewis had never seen before, with a commanding presence that he could feel in the very air itself.

"VILE THIEVES! YOU DARE TRESPASS ON MY TERRITORY ONCE AGAIN?!"

The tallest figure, which Lewis could see was a brown-bearded man with a pointy cap on his head and older style clothing befitting a farmer from the early 20th century, flinched from the dragon's imposing yell. However, he regained his composure and made himself as tall as he could in front of the others, who were now clearly illuminated against the flames. The second tallest figure was a woman with orange hair, a similar pointed cap, and a simple dress with an apron from the same aesthetic period. The two smaller figures were children who wore similar clothes to the adults, with the older boy having orange hair while the younger girl had brown hair.

It was a family of what could only be described as gnomes. The father, Sullivan, spoke up and tried to muster as much bravado as he could.

"Ye wanna fight?! I got a clan ta feed, ye damned overgrown lizard! Put 'em up!!"

Jiva opened her mouth and prepared another flaming breath to finish off the gnomes.

"STOP!!!" Lewis was yelling as he ran in and got between the opposing sides, throwing himself in front of Jiva and spreading his arms wide.

This had gotten the dragon to momentarily stop sputtering fire from the back of her mouth, but she continued to bellow black smoke and stared down the artist with a hatred that made his legs shake on the spot and sweat to come down faster even given the heat of the flames around him. However, he held his gaze and remained resolute in shielding the gnome family. Jiva spoke with a much harsher and more accusatory tone, though not quite to the fully commanding presence she had moments earlier.

"You would stand in the way of me burning out these pests?!"

"I don't even know who they are, Jiva!"

The family's attention was perked up by the mention of Jiva's name and the artist's familiarity with her. The mother, Celine, spoke up with a bit of inquisitiveness.

"Jiva? Do ye know this foul beastie on a personal level, lad?"

Lewis glanced back at the family behind him with a harsh whisper. "Not right now! I'm negotiating for your lives here!"

The artist turned his attention back to the dragon in front of him. He relaxed a bit and put his arms down, taking a step forward with a softer expression towards Jiva. She remained on the spot, but seemed to lose a bit of her previous fury as she lowered her head down to meet Lewis on his level; she maintained a stern gaze at the gnome family behind him as he spoke softly.

"Jiva, please.... tell me what's going on."

The dragon let out a small sigh and moved her head closer, allowing Lewis to step forward more and press his upper body, arms, and face against her snout in an embrace; Jiva and Lewis closed their eyes as both began to calm down some more. As the gnome family looked on, the two kids peered out from behind their parents. The little girl was the first to speak up, still a bit nervous and without the accent that her parents had.

"Is the big dragon still gonna hurt us?"

Celine quickly pushed her daughter back behind her and shushed her with a stern but quiet voice. "Not now, Millie. Ye need ta keep quiet while those two talk."

After a few more moments of their quiet embrace, Jiva and Lewis pulled back from one another and looked into each other's eyes. The dragon glanced back at the gnomes, then back to her friend. The anger she previously displayed had faded a bit, but there was still a small hint of that in her gaze whenever she glanced at the gnomes. Jiva took in a deep breath through her snout and finally spoke with her usual calmer voice.

"Very well, Lewis. These minor fairies live in the valley as well, away from the humans of Kent Valley just like I. Their ancestors were around when I first arrived here, but I didn't pay them any mind back then." Jiva snorted her disapproval. "No.... this is a more recent grudge. These creatures trespassed into my lair and stole from my garden a few months ago."

"Ye damn lyin' cunt, tell the whole story!!" Sullivan yelled with an accusatory tone.

Celine had to physically restrain her husband to keep him from doing anything too brash, but she kept quiet otherwise. Jiva glanced at Sullivan with a bit of malice, but turned her attention back to Lewis. However, the artist's interest was piqued at this, and he gestured towards the family.

"May I ask them their side of the story?"

Jiva sighed, but she relented nonetheless with a bit of resignation in her voice. "Fine. I will trust your judgment on this."

Lewis nodded and turned toward the gnome family, speaking to them calmly.

"Okay then. What about you guys? What's really going on with you? Sully was it?"

Sullivan stepped forward and turned his gaze upward to look Lewis in the face. He frowned as he crossed his arms, took a deep breath, and gave the gnomes' side of the story with a bit of sadness behind his eyes.

"Yes, I be Sullivan. And the rest be me wife Celine and me spuds, Millie and Willy. This winter be particularly harsh fer our clan down below. Our harvests failed, so us clan leaders voted fer a course o' action. Majority decided ta go negotiatin' with the dragon."

Jiva gave a quick little response, stating facts plainly. "I denied them."

At this little interjection, Sullivan showed a bit of annoyance. Jiva didn't pay him any mind, while Lewis simply waited patiently. The gnome clan leader recomposed himself and continued.

"Yes, she denied us. So we made like other fairies an' snuck in ta gather up as much as we could ta feed our families. Us gnomes be good at gettin' in places we don't belong, even a dragon's lair. We got caught, pleaded our case, an' got denied nonetheless but spared."

Sullivan took a moment, breathing in and out a few times to steady his nerves. As he prepared to speak, a few tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes.

"We tried ta abide the big lass's ultimatum, but we lost some families couple o' weeks back, even a few spuds." The gnome's hands balled up into fists. "Weren't fair, that. We need food, and the humans sure as shite can't know we're here. So that left stealin' from Naked Mountain again. Lad, ye see how that went."

"I do see that, Sullivan." Lewis looked at the gnomes with sympathetic eyes, then turned back to Jiva.

She remained a bit distant, still eyeing the family with a bit of contempt. The artist took a moment to gather his thoughts, wondering how to resolve this. It was clear that Jiva didn't treat the gnomes with the same respect she afforded him, especially given how they were now repeat offenders that had trespassed on her territory and attempted to steal from her twice now. Dragons were intelligent and more than capable of seeing reason, but the instinct to protect their holdings was strong, and grudges clearly ran deep if their wishes weren't appeased.

Lewis then thought back to what happened before him and Jiva had gone on their first flight together, and he suddenly had an idea. The artist looked back up from his contemplation and had a bit of hopefulness in his voice as he brought up this idea to his friend's attention.

"Jiva, you said I wasn't ever able to finish anything working in the garden, right?"

Jiva seemed confused. "Yes, I have said that, Lewis. What of it?"

"Well.... what if we got some help? Help from the gnomes?"

At this notion, both the dragon and the gnome family were left a bit stunned at this suggestion. The fairy family members huddled up and began to talk among themselves, making sure to keep it quiet so that they wouldn't be overheard. Meanwhile, Jiva's expression was a bit less readable as her eyes darted back between Lewis and the gnomes. While the dragon continued to contemplate this proposition with uncertainty, the gnomes had finished up whatever they were discussing among themselves.

Sullivan spoke up with a bit of renewed confidence.

"The clan would happily oblige this request ta help out with yer gardening problems long-term if the dragon of the valley be agreein' ta terms fer us gnomes to survive this winter."

Lewis looked back at the gnomes, then back to Jiva. "Well? What do you think? If you need more assurances, I'm sure we could continue to hash out more to this agreement."

Jiva continued to ponder this potential arrangement, clearly conflicted about how to approach this offer. The dragon's thoughts were complicated, as such blatant disrespect was absolutely intolerable; many dragons had simply killed offenders the first time. Jiva was more merciful than most, but this affront to her instincts and personal honour was hard to reconcile with the reasoned logic of this exchange. It didn't help that her friend, this odd human she rescued and took in, didn't want this conflict to end in bloodshed. She respected him and enjoyed his companionship.

Finally, she spoke up with a little bit of that commanding presence from earlier, raising her head and standing tall to look down on the gnomes.

"Your clan will work to correct your errors in judgment in defying my will. In exchange for being granted resources to survive this winter and your lives, you will tend to my garden and my lair as caretakers in perpetuity as I see fit, only doing as I or Lewis Greene direct you."

Lewis was a bit surprised that Jiva had named him as a figure of authority in this ultimatum to the gnomes. "Wait, me?"

Jiva didn't even give the artist a second glance as she continued with her authoritative voice. "Lewis will be your direct superior, and only my own authority supersedes his. Additionally, any clan members in the valley outside will report any and all suspicious or anomalous findings to either myself or Lewis directly, or otherwise pass along this information to those who are working under our supervision. Do I make myself clear?"

The gnome family quickly huddled up again to discuss this, but the conversation was over pretty quickly. They turned their attention back to the dragon, standing tall and proud. Sullivan once again spoke for his family and clan, finally having a bit of a more normal and neutral tone now.

"We accept yer terms, Lady Jiva. We'll relay them to the rest o' the clan in the valley below, let 'em know to defer to the Lady and Lord."

Jiva gave them all a stern look and spoke with her divine presence one more time. "Know this, gnomes. Should you break this trust I have placed in you--"

Lewis quickly stepped in front of the gnome family and stared down Jiva. He was unwavering in his gaze as he spoke with a similar conviction.

"Then I will take their place for punishment."

This declaration had taken the dragon by surprise, as she no longer had her initial commanding gaze and instead seemed slightly panicked.

"L-Lewis, I--"

"I mean it, Jiva. If they defy you again, then I will take their place. If you intend to kill them for their crimes, then I will die in their stead so that they might leave you alone forever with their lives intact." Lewis had once again spoken with uncharacteristic authority and command, absolutely resolute and unyielding in his own ultimatum.

Jiva found herself uneasy at her friend's boldness and unwavering resolve, his willingness to throw his own life away to give these gnomes he didn't even know a chance to live. But it was the idea of being left alone forever that had truly rattled her. To be alone without these fairy people was one thing, but to be alone without Lewis, and the thought of killing him unjustly as recompense? This was irreconcilable to the dragon in a way she couldn't fully explain, and was something that she didn't wish to bear the consequences of.

There was no other choice.

"I.... I accept, Lewis."

At this admittance, the artist relaxed and turned to face the gnomes. Before he could even say anything to them, both of the parents were grabbing a hand each and shaking them vigorously while the kids hugged his legs. There were tears in the parents' eyes, and they spoke with immense gratitude to their new lord.

"Thank ye, milord!! Thank ye so much! Ye don't know how grateful we are ta ye!" Sullivan was beyond happy and relieved.

Lewis looked at them with a bit of discomfort and embarrassment. "Oh, uh, it's nothing, Sullivan. I just--"

"We can never repay ye enough, milord! Our spuds have a future again thanks ta ye!" Celine was similarly beyond happy and relieved.

Lewis continued to look on with discomfort, not really sure how to accept this gratitude. "Really, it's nothing Celine. I was just--"

Both of the gnome children spoke up with excitement. "Thank you, Lord Lewis!"

"Okay, okay, that's enough, guys!" Lewis was quite exasperated with how excessively they were thanking him, but he still couldn't but smile.

As the gnome family finally calmed down, Sullivan and Celine eventually stopped shaking Lewis's hands, and Willy finally stopped hugging his left leg. Millie kept hugging his right leg, so the artist crouched down while keeping his right knee up and attempted to gently pry her off. However, when he managed to get her to stop hugging his leg, the little girl immediately threw her arms around his stomach as she hugged him tightly once again.

At this extended display of affection, Lewis chuckled a bit and relented, hugging her back. The rest of the gnomes joined in, hugging their new lord. After a few more moments of this group embrace, the other three gnomes let go, though Millie once again kept clinging on. Eventually, though, she released her grip when her mother pulled her away.

The family of four waved their goodbyes as they headed towards the western wall of the garden chamber, with Jiva following after them. There was a small hole in the rocky floor near the wall that seemed too small even for the small fairies to move through, but Sullivan pulled out a bag that had been hanging from his belt and pulled out some sparkling sand-like powder. He wafted it over the hole, causing it to rapidly expand to a size that could more than accommodate the entirety of his family moving through it.

As the family prepared to go through the hole back to the outside valley to rejoin their clan, Jiva made sure to drill them on what to expect, softer than before but with a hint of her divine presence from a few minutes ago.

"Confirm with your clan the conditions of our agreement, then return here at sunrise tomorrow with a complement of workers. I wish to keep you on as productive caretakers since I have decided to heed my companion's advisement, so see to it that you are able to transport food from my stores to your families before you begin."

Sullivan's wife and kids went down the hole first, and he responded with understanding and thankfulness. "I understand, milady. I'll make sure the rest o' the clan leaders respect ye, and the kindness ye've shown us. Give our regards with the lad ye fancy."

"What do you mean by--"

Before she could question Sullivan about that last comment he made, the gnomes vanished into the hole entirely, which had quickly shrunken back to its original small size. The dragon sighed and shook her head, then began walking back to where Lewis was. She looked down at him sternly, but her expression softened when she saw that he looked up at her with his usual kindness.

"Thank you for giving them a chance, Jiva. I really didn't want them to die."

"That was quite bold of you, putting your life on the line for them. And very, very stupid. I.... I do not wish to harm you and be alone again." There was a sadness in her voice, which Lewis picked up on.

He walked over to her, bent down, and placed his hand on her front right claws as he looked up at her. "Anything I can do to make things up to you?"

The dragon took a few moments to ponder his question, and soon came up with an idea.

"Will you.... join me for another flight? Flying helps me to clear my mind of any tension."

Lewis had a warm smile on his face. "I'd love to, Jiva."

And so the unlikely pair made preparations to take to the skies once again for an early morning flight.

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The transition from Lewis working alone in Jiva's garden and struggling to keep pace with the workload of the many plots to dozens of gnomes efficiently tending to the entire chamber like a well-oiled machine had been a lot smoother than either Lewis or Jiva had expected. Contrary to the pair's initial expectations, the minor fairies had taken news of their new lot in life surprisingly well.

Like Lewis, they had been a bit aimless in this modern age, mostly just getting by and trying to survive over having any real purpose. However, it was the artist's conviction in bargaining for their lives, and especially putting his own on the line for their sake, that had convinced them to give their all in appeasing Jiva; they worked hard to ensure this new venture would be sustainable. Sullivan's family in particular had received high esteem among the clan for not only taking the lead in the food theft, but also for being the ones to help negotiate with the dragon of the valley alongside their new lord.

It took barely more than a couple hours on the first day they arrived for them to learn exactly what the dragon expected after she carefully instructed them on how to manage every part of the garden's day-to-day duties. They almost never needed any further instruction or reprimanding, and they had formed their own efficient rotation to cycle workers in and out periodically to ensure that no group was kept on duty for longer than necessary while also ensuring the day's workload wasn't finished too fast or too slow. The garden had never looked better as gnomes skittered about, and the silo storage had become quite full even after the clan had taken its cut to bring back to their families in the valley.

Within a couple of days, fairy folk working the garden chamber had simply become the norm now.

Jiva was laying down next to the garden shed overseeing the gnomes, and Lewis stood next to her. While the dragon was quite content right now at having what was essentially a loyal workforce at her beck and call, her human companion was a bit conflicted; Jiva took notice of this and questioned him.

"Lewis, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing really. I just...." Lewis sighed, not wanting to put a damper on his draconic friend's mood. "I just feel a little.... useless now, Jiva."

Jiva cocked her head. "How so?"

"The gnomes don't need any help at all now that they've got the routine down, so where does that leave me? I'm sorta feeling like I'm back to where I was before you found me. Aimless, no job, just--"

"Enough of that self-loathing, Lewis."

Jiva's words were harsh, but once again spoken simply as a statement of facts as she knew them. Her voice softened as she brought her head down to be at eye level with her friend.

"You've done so much for me in such a short time. You've given me companionship, and now you've given me a community."

Lewis was a bit reserved in his response. "Yeah, but.... what now?"

Jiva was a bit annoyed. "Now? Now, you and I will continue to be companions. With the gnomes tending to my garden and being my eyes and ears out in the valley, you and I can now simply enjoy our lives more freely. We can go on flights more often, explore the lands below."

"Okay, yeah Jiva, there's that, but--"

"But nothing. Take this as an opportunity to further indulge in your passions if you wish. Perhaps you can become my personal artist, taking inspiration from the sights of the valley and doing portraits of me when I request them."

Lewis took a few moments to ponder on this. While he did dread not having a purpose to define him and drive him forward, Jiva had a point. With this newfound freedom, he really could do anything he put his mind to if he tried hard enough. And the dragon's idea of further investing into his hobby of art was a good one, especially if he could put it to good use in showing his appreciation for the most important person in his life more often.

The artist began quickly brainstorming ideas for new art projects in his head, but his train of thought was interrupted by Sullivan and his family strolling up to the pair and waving to get their attention. Lewis happily shook Sullivan and Celine's hands; he also bent down to give Willy and Millie high fives.

"Hey guys, you're on break right now. What brings you here?"

Sullivan spoke up to answer for his family. "Lady Jiva asked fer our family specifically. Said it had somethin' ta do with our arrangements as per our agreement, milord."

Lewis had a bit of discomfort at being referred to by his technically official title. "Sullivan, you and the rest of the clan don't need to keep calling me 'Lord', you know."

At this, the entire family laughed.

Celine spoke up next. "Sorry, but ye be our lord both officially and in our hearts after what ye did fer us. That ain't changin' anytime soon, milord."

The artist groaned at this, and the dragon couldn't help but have a guttural chuckle at his discomfort at being held in such high reverence by the Sullivan family and the rest of the gnome clan. After having her fun, Jiva turned her attention to Sullivan and raised her head high to look down on them. While the gnome leader straightened himself up and tried to appear more formal in stance, the dragon spoke to him with a softness she normally only reserved for Lewis.

"Sullivan, you and your family have been instrumental in helping to transition your clan into their new roles tending to my lair, as well as for providing companionship to myself and Lewis."

Sullivan beamed with pride. "Thank ye kindly, milady. It be a pleasure ta be on yer good side."

"In recognition of your efforts, I have decided that you will henceforth be deemed as official direct liaisons between your clan and myself and Lewis. Additionally, I authorize your family and a select few other families of the clan to relocate to a currently unused chamber of my lair so that you might better act in this role, and so that I might oversee the growth of our new community."

Both the gnome family and Lewis were left stunned at this request by the dragon, as it was such a major contrast compared to just a few days ago. Jiva seemed to give a bit of a smile as she awaited a response, but Sullivan and Celine were left speechless. It was Willy who finally spoke up.

"I'm okay living here if mother and father are okay with it. I know I'd like to have some of my friends stay here too."

Millie spoke up too. "Yeah, can we stay?"

Sullivan and Celine looked at each other, and both couldn't help but chuckle at the unanimous decision made by their children. Sullivan stepped forward and spoke with polite reverence.

"We accept this new arrangement, milady. Just allow us time ta figure out who in the clan'll come live here."

Jiva bowed her head gracefully. "Of course. I will show you where you'll be staying once you've conferred with your clan."

All four fairy folk bowed their heads before then heading into the garden to converse with other clan leaders who were present. As they did so, Lewis looked up at Jiva, and she looked down at him. The artist and dragon both smiled as Lewis decided to tease his companion about this change of heart.

"Look who's the big bad dragon, now."

Jiva chuckled. "I must admit, this wasn't a decision I would've made a few days ago. Perhaps you've been a bad influence on me, Lewis. But then...."

Jiva stared wistfully at Sullivan's family out in the middle of the garden as a small gathering of their fellow gnomes congregated to discuss the new living arrangements given to them.

"This community we've started.... It's unlike anything I've experienced before. I wish to see it grow, like I once used to grow the plants in this very garden myself. It'll be nice to have families with children I can see grow."

Lewis could see the brief hint of sadness behind Jiva's eyes when she said that last sentence. This prompted her to drop her head down to the ground by her feet. While the artist wanted to ask her if anything was wrong, he elected to simply sit down next to her head, resting his own head against her cheek.

That story would have to wait for another time.