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A thing to note about Dreamland was, quite simply, that non-human being were ones who tended to hide away from them.
It was quite a funny thing, truly, that the royal family tended to employ one single witch or wizard and occasionally their apprentice anyway. After all, the royal family held no magic. If they desired greater power, they had to bind a person versed in magic to them.
Liu Xiao, himself, had gotten himself kicked from a kingdom far, far away. For turning princesses into unicorns, no less. What was the harm in that, anyway? A true love's kiss would turn them back instantly... or another potion.
Point is, people like him tended to hide away. That was why he lived in the tower in the Sighing Swamps, had restored it painstakingly with his own hands and only his magic as aid. He seldomly left the woods, barely visited the markets.
Yet, as such, he occasionally forgot why he did what he did. Why he hid himself away so deep within the forest that only desperate souls would truly find him.
On his wanderings, searching for rare herbs that would aid him as spell components, he found himself pausing in his tracks, hidden within the shadows.
It was the sound of laughter, booming and echoing in the quiet evening. The scent of burning wood reached his nose, a campfire. Beneath the smell was the scent of cheap beer.
When he reached near the clearing, hidden within the shadows, he looked the humans over. People that targeted non-humans, no doubt. Their weapons, he could tell, were a mixture of various things to ward all kinds of beings off. Silver, meant for the werewolves roaming the woods during full moon. Holy water, meant to deter vampires and demons. Iron, for the fae.
The variety of things meant to cause harm were not much of importance to him. Rather, his attention was caught by a cage far from where the light of the fire properly reached.
Inside he could hear a pulse. One of the living creatures roaming these lands, it seemed. Too loud to be a werewolf, though. Certainly not a shapeshifter.
He watched in silence, attention flickering to one of the humans. A tall one, lumbering towards the cage. Some raw fish in hand.
That was most interesting to Liu Xiao, and he slunk through the shadows and, using the magic so readily at his disposal, turned into an owl and flew up into a tree. Watching from above as the tall human knocked against the bars of the cage with a steel hammer.
Fascinated, he watched as the being within the cage unfurled. A hint of fur, a flash of scales when the light of the campfire caught right. Reptilian. Wings too large to fit comfortably within the too-small-cage.
A dragon, he couldn't help but think in astonishment. He'd been so sure that they were extinct, but here one was. Long hair unkempt, perhaps from being inside that cage for a couple days. Bruises blossoming across a face that seemed unhealthily pale in the dim light.
Even from a distance, he could see fury shine in eyes colored like freshly spilled blood. Such a prideful one, even caged and, as he looked closer, chained to the floor by his wrists. A spirit too fierce to break or as much as bend.
Even when the fish was dangled just out of reach, there was no attempt to swipe it. Only a dark growl echoing through the night, claw-like nails scraping across the metal floor he sat on.
Looking closer, Liu Xiao idly filed the information away that one wing seemed to be bent oddly. That likely wasn't a normal thing.
Human cruelty, it seemed, knew no bounds. There was no intention to drop the fish into the cage, it seemed. The dragon, it seemed, could tell easily. Head lowering in defeat for a moment. The human, on the other hand, seemed to assume this meant he'd won.
Liu Xiao, though, leaned forward in anticipation. This one was a prideful creature, he doubted he'd truly break. Not this fast and over withheld food.
He was proven right when the human, stupid as he seemed to be, reached into the cage. Perhaps to yank on the long horns, or to mess with the dragon further.
A terrible shriek echoed through the night, music to Liu Xiao's ear. The other humans rushed to see what had happened.
Amidst it, Liu Xiao decided this one was too entertaining to be left to the humans. On quiet wings, he fluttered towards where the human's had left their food and drinks behind. Quickly and silently turned back and pulled a potion from his belt, spilling one drop on each item.
By the time the humans returned to their seating around the campfire, one of them now with a badly bandaged arm, the wizard had already returned to his perch in the trees.
In no time at all there were terrified shouts turning into loud, mousy squeaks. The owl hooted a laugh at the sight, swooping down to gather them up and drop them into a basket. They should've felt grateful, in his opinion, that he was gracious enough to drop them into one filled with bread.
Once that was done, he took a piece of cloth and used it as a glove. Carefully picking up the iron key and heading over to the cage.
"Well, look at what the hunters dragged in, hm~?" he offered the dragon a charming smile, and dodged a blast of fire just barely. "Now now, I'm willing to get you out. Is your nose not working properly? Or are you perhaps not capable of sensing magic? Or... hm. Perhaps you aren't capable of speech"
The teasing had the intended effect. Instead of growling, the dragon now looked simply offended. "I saw you shift quite clearly" he spat, glaring at him. "You're a shape shifter"
Liu Xiao smiled, amused. "I'm a wizard" he answered idly, examining the key. The statement was not the entire truth, yet not a lie either.
If the dragon noticed anything amiss, he didn't comment on it.
"So, do you desire help, or should I leave you to it?" Liu Xiao asked, raising a brow. Watched the dragon as he seemed to hesitate on the matter. Then, with a huff, he folded his wings tight against his body.
It was morbidly fascinating to watch how the bones in the oddly bent one moved in a way they clearly weren't meant to. Broken, most likely. Yet nothing beyond a small hiss escaped the dragon. "... what is it you wish for in exchange?"
Liu Xiao hummed. Perhaps he hadn't given this one enough credit- or perhaps he simply held a healthy amount of wariness around strangers.
Still, Liu Xiao was nothing if not one for equal transactions... except how 'equal' these truly were was up to anyone's interpretation. "Your name would be enough. May I have it?" he asked, smiled at him.
For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Then the redhead inclined his head. "Open the cage to prove your aid, and I'll tell you, little wizard" he agreed easily enough, and Liu Xiao chuckled lightly.
This certainly proved easier than anticipated- what a joy it was, to cause the humans trouble and get something out of it as well.
Yet when the dragon opened his mouth, he detected no lie within his heartbeat, yet his skin prickled at being struck with one anyway: "My name is Vein"
Vein, such an odd name. Fitting, but odd. Certainly not his true name, that much he was certain of.
Still, even when he looked at him in disapproval, the dragon did not bend. Did he... truly believe this to be his name? How odd. Intriguing, really. Liu Xiao smiled, a hint of amusement slipping through.
"A pleasure, Vein," he said, the false name like ash on his tongue, "you may call me Xavier"
As promised, even though this was not quite what he'd agreed upon, he unlocked the cage. Examined the shackles holding Vein to the floor. "Can you not melt them?" he asked, almost absent-mindedly, "Or would that end up harming you?"
The dragon huffed, leaning down. Liu Xiao, idly, noticed that he was close enough to rip his throat out with his teeth if he so wished... and if he was faster than the wizard's reflexes. "They shoved a potion down my throat. Who knows, maybe one of yours~"
His face twitched at the mere thought. How fascinating to know that there were counter-measures against a dragon's fire breath. "I don't know how your kind works" he admitted easily, settling for showing unnecessary vulnerability in favor of gaining more trust. "I wouldn't know how to mix something like that"
Vein huffed, shaking his head. "Right, right. Now, any way you can help a dragon out, sweetie?" he asked, and Liu Xiao froze for a split second at the pet-name. He refrained carefully from commenting on it, instead weaving a spell that would, hopefully, break the shackles, chanting quietly under his breath.
If the other realized that this was not a language many were privy to hear without losing their soul in the process, he did not show it.
When the shackles finally did shatter, Liu Xiao risked a glance to the dragon's face. Took idle note of how pale he was, causing the bruises to stand out harshly. "Your wing is broken" he mentioned off-handedly.
The dragon hummed. Liu Xiao frowned.
"You need help. Do you have someone who knows how to treat that?" he asked, and watched as ruby eyes slipped close for a second, the alertness fading slowly. "Vein, hey- don't pass out on me" he chided, unwilling to deal with an unconscious dragon.
He couldn't simply kidnap him. Not like this. Or, well, he could. But that would be far less fun than messing with rules.
The dragon slumped forward, far too light for someone of his height when he grabbed him in an attempt to prevent a concussion on top of a broken wing and who knew what else had been inflicted, at least in Liu Xiao's opinion. "You'll help me, no?"
For a moment, Liu Xiao wanted to refuse. There was nothing he could gain from this, nothing at all. Only a false name was what he'd been given. Yet he found himself pausing. Perhaps because this one was simply too fascinating to let die, just like this.
"If you'll let me study you" he said, because he needed something for his troubles. The dragon huffed, head lolling against Liu Xiao's shoulder. For a moment neither moved, nor spoke.
A tired laugh reached the dark haired man's ear. "Fine" was all the dragon muttered before going limp in his arms.
Oh, Liu Xiao couldn't help but think, by the great Queen Áine... what have I gotten myself into?
Well, at least he'd learn more about dragons. Was perhaps the first able to study what might be the last dragon of Dreamland, of this kingdom's most dangerous creature.
Who knew... perhaps he'd even figure out his true name, while he was at it.
(Meanwhile, far far away in a golden-gleaming cave, a young prince tossed a coin up and down. Staring out of the hole in the ceiling at the moon, wondering where his best friend, granted also his only friend, had vanished off to.)