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As the story goes, the Cave of Miracles could grant any wish, no matter how outlandish it was. It was Roman's only chance to save his brother. Logan, the village historian gave him an ancient map. It was smooth and pale, a remnant from before the magic in the world reawakened and the Great Collapse began, but it supposedly marked where the Cave of Miracles lay within a distant mountain range.
The journey was long and arduous, spanning multiple months. Roman first left on his adventure when the snow was just beginning to melt. The summer blossoms were in full bloom by the time he reached the mountain range.
Roman had been scouring the mountains for the marked spot for days, and he knew the Cave of Miracles was near. There was a strong magical essence lingering in the area, but he couldn't pin point where it originated. It was as if it was being concealed, which takes some powerful magic.
Roman discovered several limestone caves with beautiful collections of stalagmites and stalactites, but they were not what he was looking for.
Their entrances were too small, their interiors empty except for small critters dwelling there. Roman swears he nearly got bit by a bat in one of them. That was the one cave he didn't search through twice.
Then he finally found a cave more promising than all of the others. The cave lip was wide enough to fit an entire house. The inside was cloaked by shadows, but golden coins and precious gems glimmered from what little sunlight reached them.
Roman felt his heart drop. The wish he wanted couldn't be solved by any amount of gold. His village mostly traded goods and services as did most of society nowadays. Patton could use some of the gold to buy fancy supplies from the market, but that wouldn't be enough. Roman had taken Remus to all of the doctors around.
No amount of money could cure him.
But Roman had journey this far. Was it really all for nothing? He pressed forward, torch in hand. As he entered, Romans eyes widened from the sheer amount in the pile in front of him.
It was a dragon's hoard.
Within the cave, the mound of artifacts, gold, and gems shifted. Roman noticed two silted eyes the color of straw open as a booming voice shook the ground beneath him, "What a strange thing that you happened to wander into my home of all places. Are you by any chance here to steal from my precious hoard?"
Roman had faced many mythical beasts in his time. It was the only way to afford Remus' doctors. None had made Roman tremble as he did now, even if his strategy of relocating rather than killing made the job more dangerous. Roman set his torch to the side and put both his hands in the air. He shakily said, "I am nothing but a simple traveler. I do not wish to steal your treasure, oh mighty golden dragon."
Roman slowly retreated out of the cave, making sure to face the golden scales of the beautiful and terrifying dragon the entire time.
The pile of gold shifted once again when the dragon lifted its head to stare into Roman's soul. Where the torch light shone on it, the large dragon's yellow scales had an iridescent green glimmer.
A puff of warm air hit Roman's face as the dragon gave an indignant huff. This "traveler" was telling the truth, but this pretty little mortal was foolish indeed if he didn't want his shiny treasure. It was the best dragon horde to exist in all the land, not that the mighty dragon kept track of that or anything.
The dragon's rumbling voice filled the cave once again, "What is it that you could desire if not treasure?"
Roman smiled softly as he stared at the majestic beast before him. It could kill him with a halfhearted swipe of it's smallest claw. Yet it didn't. Roman doubted that it ever would, but a primal part of Roman wanted him to turn tail to run away.
Still, the fact that all that his journey led to was gold made sorrow settle into his bones deeper than any fear. Bitterness leaking into his voice, he informed the dragon, "I was told that I would find something that could grant any wish here, but this map must be older than I thought. These old coins won't heal my brother. Only before the Great Collapse happened could money solve all the problems in the world."
The dragon's chortle ricocheted out of the cave. This little mortal before him thought he was so smart, but he knew nothing. The ancient dragon stepped into the light outside of its cave and rose to its full height, towering over Roman. It's pale yellow eyes were locked onto Roman's forest brown.
"I see. My pretty, you must have braved such great hardship to get here, but you were misinformed. It is not my treasure that you seek. You were journeying in search of me."
Roman's brow furrowed in confusion. He would have to tread carefully in order to avoid the dragon's ire. Perhaps flattery would work? "I'm afraid I do not understand, oh great winged one."
The dragon titled its head, its gaze a challenge. "Little one, if you want even the smallest of my blessings, you must accomplish a grand feat. Bring me something for my horde. It has to be something that you find beautiful and treasured. Only then will I grant your wish."
The blood drained from Roman's face. Dragons were infamous for their pickiness. He debated going back down the mountain and begging the nearest village for help in collecting a tribute, but the sun was already setting.
He was not foolhardy enough to risk traversing the unstable mountain path with only a torch. Roman sighed and resigned himself to making camp for the night.
He hummed under his breath as he worked to assemble his tent. The dragon snorted, but it settled down in its cave with its whole head still outside. Its beautiful eyes were the color of honey, and they tracked Roman's every move as he put together a ring of stones into a makeshift fire pit.
Roman yelped in alarm when the dragon growled a warning and a small line of flickering flames towards the fire pit.
The dragon looked at Roman expectantly, as if waiting for Roman's acknowledgment. "Uh, thank you, oh mighty golden scaled fire starter…?"
"That was nothing more than a parlor trick," the dragon replied smugly, soaking in the praise. The titles were amusing.
Roman set about cooking a simple stew from his travel rations. He was glad that he had splurged on a solid traveling pot. It was far more enjoyable to camp if he could look forward to a warm meal instead of merely the tough jerky that was the standard traveler's fare.
While waiting for his food to cook, Roman took a lute out of his pack. He carefully tuned each string. Roman nodded in satisfaction and began strumming out a simple melody.
Roman began singing a simple tavern song. It was often a crowd favorite when he played at inns, so perhaps the dragon would enjoy it too.
As Roman started the third verse, the dragon began to hum along to the melody. Roman paused at the melody. It was so soft and gentle, he didn't know a mighty dragon was capable of producing that soothing.
The dragon's humming stopped as the bard's song died. "Did I scare you?" the dragon said mockingly, in preparation to receive scorn.
Roman shook his head and looked at the dragon in wonder. "No. How could I be scared of you? I was simply taken by surprise by your enchanting voice."
The golden dragon's voice was smooth but dangerous. "Hmm. Why would you be scared? Its not like I could crush you beneath my feet easier than you could kill a bug. Its as if mortals such as yourself have never attacked me in my own home out of fear. In fact, I seem to recall you trembling as you entered my home."
"I am not afraid of you," Roman repeated. He meant what he said. Despite the dragon's pretenses, he seemed to be gentle and kind. Roman truly had invaded his solitude, yet this mighty dragon let him stay.
Roman smiled as he proclaimed, "I, Roman Sword, am not like those awful humans who would attack a beautiful being such as yourself for no reason! Even when dealing with dangerous creatures, relocation and reasoning tends to work better than most are willing to believe."
The dragon blinked slowly at Roman. Somehow, he was telling the truth. This little human was more than just a pretty face apparently, how shocking. "Well Roman. Aren't you just precious?"
Roman blushed. "I-thank you. Now glistening golden scaled one, what am I to call you?"
The dragon's laugh caused the cooking soup to slosh against the black pot. "Nice try, Roman. Your a more suited to coming up with titles than to persuasion."
Roman hummed as he conceded. The low tone switched to the melody he was singing before. Strummed his lute, Roman began singing once again. When the golden dragon began humming along, Roman's voice still wavered, but it did not flag.
When Roman finished the song, he ate his stew to the sound of the dragon's continued humming. It was soothing. Roman felt his eyelids begin to droop as the song shifted into a lullaby that felt like being enveloped in a warm hug. Roman set his bowel next to him, but he didn't want to get up and risk startling the dragon into silence.
He fell asleep where he sat.
In the morning, Roman woke up to the feeling of cool scales against his skin. He yelped in surprise and tried to stand up, but the heavy weight on top of him didn't allow him to move.
Roman blinked his eyes in surprise as he realized the dragon had laid its head on Roman's lap and wrapped its body around Roman's. It was quite comfortable actually. The dragon's neck made an excellent back rest.
Sadly, Roman's struggling did not go unnoticed and the dragon uncoiled from around him. "Don't go," Roman pouted, his voice still heavy with sleep.
The dragon continued to pull away until it retreated into it's earlier position with only it's head sticking out of the cave. "I am not going anywhere my precious Roman. Yet you still need to find me something for my hoard," the dragon softly reminded.
Roman groaned as he flopped onto the dirt, an arm flung across his eyes. He did not want to descend the mountain in search of a tribute.
The dragon moved forward to gently nudge him, but the force still rolled Roman onto his stomach.
"You scaly serpent! Was that really necessary you scaly?" Roman grumbled as he stood up and dusted himself off, "I only have so many travel outfits!"
The dragon's eyes were half closed as he spoke in what Roman could swear was a smirk. "You were already on the ground, little human. Its not my fault you are dirty."
Roman put his hands on his hips as he stared down the dragon. "It is your fault that I have to trek down the mountain only to climb it again!"
Roman could hear the swish of the dragon's tail moving back and forth. "When did I ever say you have to do that?" The dragon said playfully.
Roman sputtered in indignation. "But you said-" Roman whined.
The dragon snorted a blast of warm air that ruffled Roman's hair to silence him. "I believe that I have a better memory than a goldfish, darling. I don't believe I mentioned needing something grand, did I? What I want is something that you find beautiful, something that you treasure."
The dragon's wording finally clicked in Roman's brain. He eagerly ran to his travel pack and spilled its contents in front of himself. As he shook it, a cluster of labradorite stones clinked together before hitting the ground.
Roman had always admired how their unique mix of amber and turquoise colors was only made more beautiful by the cracks of black scattered within the stone.
He had been collecting them along his travels. It was both his and Remus' favorite stone. Roman loved how not only were they beautiful, but they supposedly boost self confidence and creativity as well. The twins prided themselves on their creativity, so the stone's meaning made it all the more special to the two of them.
Roman was going to gift them to his brother, but the dragon healing Remus would be the greatest gift of all.
Roman held up his handful of stones, hope gleaming in his eyes. The dragon examined them intently and nodded in approval.
It lumbered out of the cave and nodded towards the entrance. "Add them to my horde," the dragon commanded.
As Roman entered the cave, he saw more than he did the first time he peeked in. Resting on the pile was human skull. Roman gasped and fell backward. From the floor, he spotted another human skeleton resting serenely. It was dressed in fine robes. "How many are there…?" Roman asked himself under his breath.
Gold scales blocked the cave entrance as the dragon peered in. Roman forgot that dragons had excellent hearing.
The dragon didn't seem angry. "It is not only glittery things that people find precious, human. Some offered up themselves to save another. One mother gave up her her eldest son to save her baby that was on death's door."
Roman gave the dragon his rapt attention.
The dragon continued its story, its voice growing wistful, "Virgil was precious to me, but he grew restless. He needed more company than just I, so he is exploring the world now. But Virgil will return to me eventually."
The dragon shook of its melancholy and continued his explanation, "Some of my humans were presented as someone's precious thing, but I knew that they were mere sacrifices. I do not take kindly to liars, but I accepted those that were cast off into my safe haven anyways. Rest assured, I made sure all who joined my horde had a long and fulfilling life."
Roman nodded, slightly overwhelmed by all the information. The dragon's years of loneliness seemed to drip from every word of the long winded explanation. Perhaps even the ancient golden dragon enjoyed having someone to talk to every once in awhile.
Roman could only imagine what it would be like to live so long that you watched all of your loved ones dies. Considering Roman's worst fear was losing his brother, it sounded like a nightmare.
Thinking about his brother made him know what he needed to ask next. "Why keep the bones?" Roman inquired.
The dragon rumbled in acknowledgment of the question before speaking. "Does honoring of something precious have to end once someone's spirit passes? They are mine, and they are too precious to be discarded. Unless… do you believe that burying them in dirt and forgetting to be the more valiant thing to do?"
Roman's mouth puckered into an o, understanding finally setting in. Roman mumbled an apology as he stood up. He carefully set the labradorite on the pile of gold. As he stepped onto the soft grass outside the cave, the dragon's snout tapped against his chest causing Roman to stumble. A warm tingle raced through his body originating from where the dragon touched him.
"I suppose that your offering is decent enough to be apart of my hoard, Roman dear. You can consider your end of the bargain complete. Once you return home, all you must do is put your hands on your brother's head and say, 'Be healed, precious one.' Then whatever ails him will hold him hostage no longer," the gentle dragon said calmly.
Roman felt tears prick his eyes, partly out of reluctance to leave the dragon and partly out of relief that he could save Remus. The map wasn't a hoax after all.
Roman thanked the dragon profusely, showering it with compliments, gratitude, and all the grand titles he could think of. He even offered to leave his lute as an additional offering to show his gratitude, but the dragon would have none of that.
"What use would I have of that piece of wood?" the dragon said indignantly, lifting its snout in the air and puffing out smoke from its nostrils, "Its not like I have hands to play it. Wouldn't it be a shame if I could never hear you play a song again?"
After all was said and done, Roman knew that he had to leave if he wanted to get to Remus in time. He didn't want to leave the dragon, but duty came before whatever feelings he had.
Reluctantly, Roman turned to walk down the rocky slope towards home. He didn't get far when suddenly, the gravel slid from underneath his foot. Roman felt his ankle give away as he slid. He didn't slide down the hill far, but as Roman moved to stand up, his ankle protested. Settling into his seated position, Roman prodded the ankle and felt a sharp pain penetrate through the general ache.
Roman knew that the dragon had power to heal him so he could go on his merry way, and it probably would probably prefer if he did. But did the dragon really want its solitude?
"On second thought," Roman shyly petitioned, "Can I get a ride?" Great. Perfect. Now the dragon would feel insulted and finely burn him to a crisp. The way Roman's face was flushed from embarrassment one would think the dragon already had.
The dragon's golden scales folded in on itself to reveal a human with dark chocolate skin in flowy golden robes. Yellow scales decorated the side of its handsome face and white horns stuck out of hair so pale it was more white than blonde.
Roman began blushing for a different reason as the now humanoid dragon knelt down beside him to examine his ankle. "What a shame," the handsome dragon sighed when his examination caused Roman to wince from pain, "I suppose there is only one thing to do."
Roman was stunned as he took in the dragon's slightly inhuman face that was mere inches from his own. Roman was too gay for this.
The dragon stepped away from Roman with a smirk, pleased by Roman's admiration. Its body began to glow, wings bursting from its back as it shifted back into its more draconic form.
"If we are going to be traveling together, I suppose that you can call me Janus. However, I still expect you to address me with the appropriate respect, my precious Roman," Janus the mighty golden dragon of granted wishes said with feigned annoyance.
Janus positioned his large wing so Roman could easily limp onto its back. Once Roman was settled, Janus beat his powerful wings and took to the skies, extending their time together for just a little longer.
When the pair arrived at Roman's village, Remus immediately rushed to his brother's side and healed him.
When he took Janus (in his more humanoid form) to meet his friends, he planned to lavish Janus with praises for saving Remus' life. For some reason, Janus seemed very distracted. Undeterred, Roman went to catch up with his old friends despite the stranger standing among them, pulling Janus along with him.
"Roman! I'm so glad you're back," Patton exclaimed cheerily.
Roman smiled back at him. "As am I, Pat. The journey was long, but who is this?"
A pale man with long dark hair and a purple cloak was standing behind Patton. Roman almost stopped breathing as he took in the man's beauty. But the stranger's beautiful stormy gray eyes didn't meet Roman's gaze. Instead, he stared at something behind Roman. The stranger's jaw was slack and but a joy radiated from his very being.
Patton slapped a hand to his forehead. "Oh! Silly me, I should have introduced him sooner. Roman, meet Virgil."
Roman thought that name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember why. That is until Virgil ran forward and began sobbing into Janus' arms.
That night, Virgil told Janus and Roman all about his ventures across the realm. When Janus told his and Roman's story, Virgil snorted.
"Its a good thing your cute," Virgil said with a smirk, "Because it sounds like you're stuck with us now."
Roman felt a hopeful warmth grow inside him. Everything about being with these two felt right, even if he had so much to learn about them.
"I wouldn't mind that," Roman admitted, a love struck look in his eyes as he looked between Virgil and Janus.
There were worse things in life than becoming a treasured part of a dragon's hoard.