Chapter Text
Part 1: A Promise
They had been anticipating this evening for months. Watching the skies, waiting for the telltale signs; once a year the stars Bala’ur and Vre’jitor would align in the night sky, but it was never an exact science to tell when that would happen. No, instead, the only clue lay in approximating when the next pass would happen based off the one previous. It would be far too convenient for anyone to be able to say “in the third month on the seventh day these particular stars will align, perfectly in harmony, thereby allowing for one of the most sacred of magical ceremonies to take place.” Clearly, marking the exact date on a calendar would be too mundane; it took studious planning and observation, memorizing the stars and being able to pick the two in question out of a veritable cloud of shiny, blinking dots scattered across the inky blackness of the night sky. Truly a daunting task for most sorcerers.
But the two who trudged quietly toward the Dragons’ Enclave were not “most sorcerers.”
One sister held a grim, determined set to her jaw, while the other kept a cool expression, occasionally taking her eyes off their path to look calculatingly at the night sky. Both held the unspoken hope, nay, resolve to accomplish their objective this night; if they could do so, they would be well on their way to succeeding in their mission; a mission of life-or-death stakes.
Despite their best attempts at remaining calm and collected, the low rumble of a growl coming from close by had both sisters reflexively reaching up and pulling their hoods down further, melding into the shadowy pathway as much as they could. While they knew that most dragons would want to enter a pact with a sorcerer, they also knew that there were more than likely a few that saw no appeal to dealing with people further than “inviting” them to be dinner. The thought sent an involuntary shudder through the younger sister. She wouldn’t go down without a fight, but she would still rather not encounter a hostile beast this night.
A few more steps and the older sister put her arm out to stop her sister as she also came to a silent halt. She scanned their surroundings, finally nodding toward an area of the woods just a shade darker in the murk of the evening. Finding one’s way to a dragon through the various semi-hidden dens and caves in the Enclave was yet another challenge. They carefully made their approach.
Drawing nearer, the forest opened up onto a small clearing where the girls could see a large den. At first worried that they had found the den of a much larger, more mature dragon (perhaps as big as their father’s own dragon partner), they almost missed the outline of not one, but two massive shapes languidly draped across the rocky soil in front of the den. Ah… a family settlement. That could explain the cave size.
The dragons seemed to be grumbling at each other, as the same deep, guttural sounds the girls had heard on their trek continued as they drew closer. The dragons did not seem to notice their approach, or if they did, they paid it no special consideration. The sisters gave each other a look; this was it. The moment for which they had been preparing themselves.
They had studied all the traditions and etiquette involved in making a Dragon Pact, had listened intently to the advice of their father and his dragon in learning what to expect in the interactions between a sorcerer or sorceress and dragon yet unbound. Still a respectful distance away, the sisters summoned glowing orbs, the first of the many formalities to observe in the tradition of the Dragon’s Pact, meant to draw a dragon’s attention and alert them to a sorcerer approaching. They stopped about 20 feet from the two reclining dragons, waiting for them to acknowledge their arrival, holding their orbs aloft to shed further light on the clearing.
The dragons paused momentarily in their grumblings as the soft light of the orbs fell upon them. They, like all young dragons, had grown up being taught the customs, graces, and etiquette of the Dragon’s Pact by the elder dragons. Adhering to tradition meant presenting and maintaining the dignity, mystique, and grandeur for which their kind was known. Upon the approach of a sorcerer or sorceress, a dragon was expected to draw themselves up to a stately posture, and acknowledge the visitor with an air of cool aloofness that they were to sustain throughout the entire proceeding.
One of the dragons pulled himself partially off the ground, walking his clawed hands back until he was a little more upright than he had been. His posture could not really be described as “grand”, though; in the dim light he resembled more a partially deflated sack of potatoes rather than a draconic statue. The other dragon made no move at all, apart from merely shifting his head to look toward the two new people in the clearing, his eyes half-lidded and bored. Well… at least that expression was closer to the detached coolness the girls had been expecting. The two looked more irritated than anything else. A popping, gurgling growl emanated from one of them.
The older sister had just opened her mouth to make their formal introduction and request the dragon’s display, when the annoyed potato sack spoke. “Do you think,” he began, his voice a husky rumble not bothering to hide his irritation, “you could stop your thrice-accursed growling?”
The older sister stopped, a feeling of indignation washing over her. She hadn’t even said anything yet! She noticed a moment later that the beast’s attention was not even directed at her. This hardly assuaged her annoyance, however; didn’t these dragons know that part of the proper etiquette in a dragon pact was giving a sorcerer one’s full attention, however haughtily? She was about to open her mouth to say something again, when the recumbent dragon spoke.
“Oh, sure, of course, whatever was I thinking?” his deep voice snarled. Was that… sarcasm? “Let me just remind my empty stomach that, despite not having a decent meal in two weeks, it should stop complaining!”
“Could you at least try to make a favorable impression?! Would putting in more effort be that hard?”
“Hey, I am showing a remarkable amount of decorum in not deciding these two look like dinner.”
The girls shifted uncomfortably as the dragons squabbled. They wondered if they shouldn’t just quietly exit the clearing and look for other dragons. The younger looked to the older in question. The latter looked to the night sky. Judging from the current placement of the stars, and adding in the time that they had been delayed in beginning their search… She looked back to her younger sister and frowned. There would probably not be enough time to find another dragon, much less two.
“…always only thinking of yourself!” the second dragon huffed.
“Myself?! Only my… Are you joking? Without me, you two idiots would have probably starved or been kicked out of the Enclave ages ago!”
“Oh, right, you’ve been so altruistic! My mistake! It had nothing to do with you worrying about whether we’d make you look bad!”
“You are making BOTH of us look bad! I-“
“SHUT. UP!”
Both dragons and one sorceress jumped in surprise at the angry bellow ringing in the clearing. Their eyes, round with shock, fastened onto the angry sorceress. Hood now slightly askew, hands balled into fists, and eyes practically glowing with barely suppressed rage, she grit her teeth and stared daggers at the dragons. If social graces were going to be ignored so far, then so be it. The younger sister had run out of patience.
“Can you two scales-for-brains pay attention for one measly second, set aside what ever this is all about, and maybe, I don’t know, at least be cognizant of this being an important night?!” she fumed. Her sister’s mouth hung slightly ajar at her sister’s egregious breaking of protocol. How would the dragons react to being spoken to in such a way?
She wasn’t finished. Undaunted by the incredulous looks directed her way, she imperiously pointed a finger at the dragons. “Now get off your giant, lazy butts and give us a demonstration!” she demanded.
“…Please…” her sister added weakly, silently praying that the dragons wouldn’t decide to end them on the spot for their impropriety.
The dragons stared at them for a second longer before the prone dragon emitted an otherworldly bark… of laughter?! He jumped to his feet, grinning broadly, and took two leisurely steps toward the sorceresses. His closer proximity to the light made his scales shimmer a vibrant green. He fixed his equally verdant eyes on the feisty sorceress, who brazenly glared back at him. With another chuckle, he spoke. “How could I ever refuse such a request?” Eyes luminous with mirth, he took a step back, crouched on his haunches, and sprung into the sky.
He twisted and turned, attempting aerial acrobatics, if a little jerkily. He hovered for a moment, drawing in a breath, then, glancing down to make sure the sorceress was watching, breathed a trail of dangerous-looking acidic-green gas. Unable to resist the urge to showboat a little, he flew in an intricate pattern, continuing to breath out his poisonous gas, until he had managed to skywrite a picture of a skull and crossbones. Apparently satisfied, he descended from the sky, landing in front of the girls perhaps a little rougher than he had intended. His eyes found his favorite, and he bared his opalescent teeth in a smile. “How’s that for a display?”
The sorceress’ own light green eyes betrayed no feelings of being charmed by the dragon’s display. She stood with her arms crossed, eyebrow raised as she regarded the dragon with the cool detachment his own kind was supposed to show humans. Finally, she spoke. “That was, what, fifteen, maybe twenty seconds?”
The dragon blinked, his confidence faltering slightly. “What?”
“Your display. Isn’t a dragon’s display supposed to be around a minute long? You know, so you can show off as much skill as you can to impress a potential pact-mate? Or was that really all you had to show?”
“What? No! Of course not!” he sputtered, taken aback by the girl’s frankness. “I’ve got tons of skills!”
“Hmm.” she said.
The dragon flapped his jaw in indignation, seemingly unable to find adequate words to express himself. Instead his brother spoke up.
“I wonder how much energy you would have,” he wondered in a quiet growl, “if you hadn’t eaten a decent meal in weeks.”
“You haven’t… eaten?” the older sister spoke now, her voice laced with not only nervousness, but something else; sympathy tinged her tone as she shared a look of concern with her sister.
“It was our brother’s turn to hunt and gather. He hasn’t returned yet, and only one of us may go at a time,” the green dragon muttered miserably.
An understanding passed between the sisters. They each dug into their pockets and produced a small wrapped parcel. Opening the cloth wrappings, they took out the chunk of bread within- a snack brought along, just in case. Wordlessly, they held them out in offering to the dragons.
The green dragon enthusiastically came closer to the green-eyed sister, and happily accepted the morsel. Taking his time chewing, he regarded her with interest. His brother, however, only huffed. He summoned enough energy to finish sitting up and drew his head up proudly.
He scowled at the sorceress across from him, and the food in her extended hand. “We did not ask for your pity.”
“It is not pity we are offering,” she replied, meeting his eyes evenly. “You indicated you were hungry. We are only trying to help.”
He narrowed his eyes. “And you think that little crumb will be enough to help us?” he sneered. “And further, that we should accept such ‘help’ from humans we have no connection to? Why, without the bond of a pact…” his voice dropped to a growl, “you are nothing more than a bite, yourself.”
He expected a shudder. Perhaps even a whimper? As this was the sister who had at least tried to maintain the propriety of the dragon pact, a formal apology would not have been outside the realm of possibility, either.
What he did not anticipate was the ethereal glow that seemed to surround her as she steeled her gaze at him, unblinking. Under the bright starlight he could just make out a faint, rosy tint to it, the pure, natural power radiating from her like an oncoming storm. He had to stop himself from closing his eyes as the ripples hit him and a light chill ran up his spine. The unspoken message came across quite clear: dragon though he may be, she was not a sorceress to be underestimated or trifled with.
“Then let us see,” she said, a haughty edge to her tone, “if you are even worthy of the bond.” She placed her hands on her hips and looked at him commandingly. “Your display, if you please.”
The dull hunger pangs replaced by the thrilling sensation of meeting someone who refused to cow to his intimidation (and a human, no less!) caused adrenaline to course through his body, driving him to his feet. He strode into the light, head held high, pumping his wings a little to wake them up. Rufescent scales flashed as he suddenly took off, a saurian rocket aiming straight for the moon itself.
In the broadness of the night sky, he spread his wings to reach their full span, casting a shadow over his onlooker as his silhouette was framed by twinkling stars and moonlight. He opened his mouth and let out his most magnificent roar, sound waves disturbing the foliage of the nearby tree canopies. He folded his wings and dove straight for the group in the clearing, spreading his wings again and pulling up just in time to avoid hitting them. He looped back into the air, performing a few more loop-de-loops as he adjusted his trajectory to fly in a circuitous path, stirring up a small whirlwind. He wasn’t completely sure he could maintain his burst of stamina for a complete minute-long demonstration, but the sorceress’ look of cold, near-draconic meliority just before he took off drove him to try.
Finally, he slowed his flight to a hover just above the clearing. Drawing in a breath, he arched his neck and spewed forth a blazing inferno. His flame crackled menacingly in the air, further lighting the clearing, and he couldn’t resist casting a glance downward to catch the reaction of the sorceress to his grand finale.
Still mostly shielded by her hood, her face was difficult to read. Briefly, he thought he spied a look of disappointment, replaced too quickly to tell by one of calm scrutiny. For the second time that evening, not quite the reaction he was expecting.
He cut off his flame breath before it could fizzle out on its own (no sense risking embarrassment, after all), and made his descent to the ground. He landed, not perfectly, but in a way noticeably more graceful than his brother. He folded his wings and sat, regarding the sorceress with a similarly impassive expression to her own.
They continued to stare at each other for a moment longer, as though daring the other to be the first to shatter their studious silence. Not breaking eye contact, the sorceress took a few steps closer to him, noting to herself the brilliance of his vermilion eyes as he surveyed her movement. Wordlessly, she pulled her arm back, and tossed the bread chunk to him, a ghost of a smile playing at her lips as he caught it.
While he chewed (and mentally kicked himself for inadvertently accepting the handout- how dare she catch him by surprise!), she looked at him thoughtfully.
“So… you’re a fire dragon,” she mused. It was not a question.
He swallowed the bite of bread and the sarcastic comment begging for freedom. Instead he narrowed his eyes slightly and craned his neck down to look her directly in the eye. “Is that a problem?”
She glanced upward in a brief survey of the night sky, then met his gaze again. She reached up and took her hood down, revealing a coppery cascade of ginger hair, the exact length hidden by the rest of her cloak. Her eyes drew most of his attention, seeming to hint at a family history of fae lineage; they were an extraordinary shade of pink, a burning alpenglow, as though pools of molten lava swam beneath a thick layer of ice. The orb’s light illuminated her fair features, and she graced the dragon with a coy smile. “Perhaps not.”
Taking her cue from her older sister, the other sorceress had also removed her hood, revealing cropped hair that hung just above her shoulders, the color so dark it practically blended in with the shadows. Nodding to each other in confirmation, the girls faced their respective dragons.
They raised both hands, palms facing upward, beckoning the dragons forward, just as they had practiced. The dragons moved to meet them, lowering their heads until they were settled in the girls’ outstretched hands.
The older sister began, her eyes emitting a soft glow as she began speaking the time-honored words laced with magic.
“I, Blossom, a sorceress of the house Utonium, first daughter of John, do humbly request of you, dragon of fire, to bind yourself to me in a Dragon’s Pact.”
“I, Buttercup, a sorceress of the house Utonium, second daughter of John, do request of Butch, ‘Baron of Berserk’, dragon of poison, to bind yourself to me in a Dragon’s Pact.”
The red dragon shot his brother a look nearly as vitriolic as Butch’s own poison. They had already exchanged names? And what was with the addition of the fake title? Had his brother completely forgotten everything they had ever learned of the traditions of making a pact?
Butch only winked cheekily back at his brother while Buttercup rolled her eyes at them both. “Sorceress Buttercup, I, Butch, dragon of poison, do accept your offer, and agree to bind our fates in a Dragon’s Pact.”
Well. Clearly it was up to the other two to at least try to save the the reverence of the ceremony.
“Sorceress Blossom, I, Brick, dragon of fire, do accept your solemn proposal, and agree to bind your fate to mine in a Dragon’s Pact.”
Upon their acceptance, the dragons’ eyes began to glow in concert with their selected sorceress. The gentle light continued to spread from each partner, engulfing both sorceress and dragon in a harmonious blend of their magical auras as they spoke their vows in turn.
“May the light of Bala’ur and Vre’jitor shine on as witness to the union of our spirits.”
“With the blessing of Bala’ur and Vre’jitor, my spirit unites with yours.”
“My power will be your power, my strength will be your strength.”
“Willingly I share my power and strength, with you alone.”
“Our lives and magic to be forevermore intertwined, I pledge this vow to you.”
“Our spirits as one, I pledge this vow to you.”
The clearing was now illuminated with the dancing, colorful light radiating from each set of pact mates as they prepared to speak the ages-old incantation that would irrevocably seal their bond. Eyes riveted on their counterpart, they spoke in unison.
“ Praestigiatrix et Draconis in aeternum .”
A beacon of light erupted from where they stood, momentarily lighting up the surrounding area of woods.
Not far from where her sisters had faded into the shadows of the forest to begin their quest, a girl sat among the trees. As she felt the flash of brightness illuminate her face, she reached up to wipe the first of a fresh wave of tears from her eyes.