Dragon Heart

Mate?

“The war between humans and dragons,” Allen looked down, “I came here to escape it at first, abandoning my search for a suitable dragon or a human to mate with, but then I saw you,” he smiled a little, his eyes filling with tears, “You were so beautiful a-and kind. You would sit out by this pond and scribble things down on pieces of paper and when you spotted a little dragon laying out on a nearby rock or swimming in the pond, you didn’t curse at it to leave or try to kill it, y-you smiled and recited the things you wrote to it,” Allen leaned close and placed his hand on Norman’s cheek, “When I first heard these-these rhyming word stories you came up with, I found myself infatuated with you. I knew you had to be the father of my child. I knew you’d be able to raise it to be kind and smart like you and protect it…” he sniffled and placed his hand over his flat stomach, “Protect it when the war spreads to the north and my kind gets killed off one by one by your kind. You will raise it as a kind human and make sure it lives to see the day dragons and humans are at peace once more if that day may ever come again.”

Norman’s eyes were wide and his expression was frozen in shock. He couldn’t believe dragons and humans were going to be at war again after almost ten years of them being at peace. What caused this? Were dragon attacks happening and causing an uproar? Were humans bored and wanting to start something with the vicious race?

He saw tears in Allen’s eyes finally falling down his cheek and finally spoke quietly to him in reply, “You’re speaking as if you will leave the child with me. Why mate if you won’t be able

to raise the child yourself?”

Allen smiled and shrugged, “I’m planning on staying and raising the child with you. I just wanted to make sure that the father I raise it with will be able to treat it to be kind and brave just in case…” Allen looked down and frowned, “Just in case…”

Norman realized what he meant now, knowing that Allen was fully planning on staying to raise his child though he was taking every precaution necessary to ensure his future child’s well being and survival just in case he didn’t survive this war that was apparently killing off dragons one by one. He still wasn’t fond of the idea of ‘mating’ with a dragon he just barely met, but he did feel for him.

“I chose you…” Allen added again, still looking down at the ground and pulling Norman away from his thoughts with his soft voice that he had previously been using before he got himself worked up. “Mating season is almost over, and I’ve fought every alpha dragon away from me because I had my sights set on you and you only… I-I’d like to have a child by next spring so if you could just think about it-!”

“I have to go back to my village,” Norman stepped away, feeling dizzy for a second but standing on his own just fine once he backed away. He knew he was just finding an excuse to leave before he was forced to make a choice, but he did have his ceremony to get back to. He frowned when he looked into Allen’s eyes, his back set straight and his hands clutched into fists to make him seem more serious and intimidating as he spoke, “I’m becoming chief today; my father’s people are waiting to become my own, and that takes my first priority right now.”

He watched as Allen’s face fell in devastation, so he quickly added without thinking for reasons he couldn’t understand, “But I will be back tomorrow, alright? With less on my mind, maybe we can talk about this and work out other options for you.”

Allen still frowned despite promises of being able to talk to the chief tomorrow, “Other options? You are the only one left.”

Norman started to back up, nodding his head despite Allen's complaint, “Alright, we’ll just talk then. I’ll be back here by sunrise tomorrow if you are willing to help me understand you more.”

Allen’s eyes widened a little in interest at Norman trying to understand him and he spoke up clearer now, “I’ll stay here and wait for you to return, chief,” he started to shift back into his dragon form, “Sunrise.”

Norman nodded and quickly snapped his head in the direction of his village when he heard the loud blare of the horn of the elder calling him to come home from the woods to finish the ceremony that would officially name him the chief of their village and of the Dal Viking Clan. Crows cawed overhead from feeling disturbed by the loud sound, and when Norman looked up at them, he noticed storm clouds rolling in as they always did every evening. He could hear the distant sound of rumbling off in the East and knew he’d have to run fast to the village to light his torch to the bonfire as symbolism of his love for his people forever burning and finish the ceremony before a big storm came and his people had to take shelter for the night.

He started to hurry away, eyeing Allen one last time before he completely turned into a dragon and took shelter in the tree line to hide from the alpha dragons still desperately searching for a mate this time of year and also the storm that he heard coming as well. Once Allen was hidden in the tree line, Norman turned back away from him and started to run back towards his village, already feeling rain drops on his skin though he had a feeling he would make it before the storm became too bad.

Norman ran up the small hill at the center of his village where the clan’s elder was waiting for him with a torch in her hand, the orange and yellow flickering fire on top of it being protected from the cold rain by a tarp two taller men were holding up over her.

Everyone cheered when he emerged from the woods, their shouts and songs of praise echoing through the air as he tracked fast across the shoreline their village was set upon on their gloomy but prospering island. These cheers grew quiet when his sprint slowed into a walk and he made his way up the hill into the mossy land his people lived on and where the bonfire had been built for him to throw his torch into.

“Sorry,” Norman apologized with a soft laugh when he noticed the elder’s glare directed at him for taking too long in the woods.

“Make any friends while you were there? You took awfully long,” she replied in a gruff voice, handing him the torch as she stepped back and held her hands up for the village to cheer for their soon-to-be new chief.

Norman smiled awkwardly at them, having never known how to make his presence leave a mark as strong as his father’s. His father stood tall with broad shoulders bigger than he could even dream of having. His father had scars that decorated his body like tattoos drawn on his skin to force him to remember ever battle he won and lost, whether that be with a dragon, a bear, or another clan off in the east that claimed his life once and for all and earned him a rightful place in Valhalla.

Norman wondered if he would one day look like his father at all. If he would have scars or muscles big enough to make his enemies run with their tails between their legs. If he would have the power of Thor on his side and become as knowledgeable and well known as Odin as his father and his father before him was.

Only time would tell though. And Norman was willing to do everything in his power to achieve this status the many chiefs before him earned so valiantly.

The elder bent down to the ground and brushed her fingers across the black sand the hill was made of, reaching her hand up to Norman’s face afterwards and marking his forehead with the mark of their clan, the Dal Clan, which translated to the Moon Clan, symbolized in a crescent shape since the moon followed their clan’s warriors into battle to protect them and

stayed back with their families as well to tie them together even when they were oceans apart. Their clan was a light in the darkness like the moon, and their clan was tied together with the help of it too. His people were proud to wear this crescent shape on their clothes, jewelry, and ships since it meant so much to them, and he felt the same.

Norman smiled at the elder as he felt her fingers pressing the shape onto his skin with the black sand, decorating him with light and unity with just a single curve of her thumb. He held his lit torch tight and could hear low humming drums beating as he lifted it up and turned to his people, now seeing them as they lifted their arms as well and cheered for him and created a harmony of deep voices of viking warriors praising him and women singing of his destiny to lead them into greatness. His heart rate picked up as he looked down at the large stack of wood in front of him, and he looked around once more at all of his people staring up at him, proud of their old leader’s son that they had so much faith in.

Norman finally smiled at all of them and shouted out loudly for everyone to hear him over the sound of their own cheers, “For our Dal Clan! The Moon Clan! May the moon continue to watch over us all and continue to light us up in the darkness so we may see our enemies when they are blinded and come back home safely with its uniting light as our guide!”

The whole village’s cheers grew louder as Norman finally threw his torch into the woodpile, stepping back a bit as it quickly lit up into flames and created a bonfire that would last until late into the night or at least until the storm came .

The elder held Norman’s hand beside him and smiled, “You’re father would be proud. You’re going to make a great chief and leader to your people.”

“His people,” Norman humbly corrected her, “I have yet to earn their trust or following.”

He looked over at all of them, smiling when he saw their happy faces as they grabbed each others’ hands and danced around, playing instruments and shouting out old war hymns in celebration of the new chief. He only looked back at the elder when she placed his hand on his back and assured him fondly, “You already have.”

~(***)~

The next day at sunrise, Norman visited Allen, keeping true to his promise and meeting him by the pond where he was already in his human form and waiting. Norman had brought a fur cloak this time to cover him, sure that he was cold from the misty fog left over from the storm and the cold northern air this time of year. He wrapped it around him as he greeted him with a nervous smile, “I hope you weren’t waiting too long?”

“It’s still sunrise,” Allen shook his head with a smile, “You came as promised,” he looked him up and down, “And you’re a chief now? A leader?”

Norman nodded, “A leader.”

“Wow,” Allen gasped softly and looked towards the pond shyly, “I’m not a leader, but I hope that won’t be a problem.”

“No that’s not the problem,” Norman’s smile faded and he sighed, deciding to sit down now and pat the area of grass and clovers beside him that were wet with morning due for Allen to sit on. “Let’s talk now because I know nothing about you. To humans its important we know someone before we trust them let alone start a deep relationship with them or make a child with them. Some of my people are backwards though, marrying after knowing each other for a day and having children as they get to know one another. It usually works out though because everyone within our clan are perfect for one another.”

Allen’s eyes widened, “Woah, so you can never go wrong?”

“Oh, no, you definitely can,” Norman laughed a little, “My uncle and his first, second, and third wife went wrong, and some say all three of them are the reason he mysteriously disappeared,” his eyes widened as he spoke to enwrap Allen more in the story, and he found the dragon mimicking his expression as he spoke since he was paying attention so closely. He continued, “My father and mother married for status though and ended up falling in love after they had me,” his smile softened and he looked down, “So it worked for them.”

“Are they still happily married?” Allen asked, tugging the cloak tighter around his shoulders and leaning closer towards the chief viking.

Norman’s smile fell completely as he remembered his father’s last words in battle before he died and his mother drowning in a accident involving a dragon when he was only seven. The memories were still so vivid in his mind, but he pushed them to the back for now and nodded his head, “In the afterlife, yes. I believe they have found each other in Valhalla and are living out the rest of their days there.”

Allen sighed happily, glad they were still together and in love, “I want that… Dragons mate for life so once we choose someone, we may never choose another because we are marked with their scent, and other dragons know not to mess with an alpha’s mate. It’s the reason behind so many battles between dragons, and when two alphas fight,” Allen blew out air through his lips and shook his head, “You want to get off that land as soon as possible before you get caught up in it.”

“So am I an alpha?” Norman asked, “Or will you be allowed to mate with others after me?”

A blush rose across Allen’s features and he smiled to himself, giggling a little under his breath before he decided to lean in close and press his nose to Norman’s neck. He held his cheek lightly in the palm of his hand to keep him close and take in his scent, and he could feel Norman freeze under his touch, but he continued to take it in because it was almost intoxicating when he was this close. This human… This human was definitely capable of becoming a leader upon leaders even though he was still so young, probably only eighteen when Allen was hmm… twenty? In human years?

He leaned back and nodded his head, “You’re an alpha. And alpha dragons will respect an alpha human’s mate especially with the strong scent you have that you will cover me with.”

Norman blushed at this and quickly lifted his hands up to his face to cover it when he felt heat rise to his cheeks. He looked down and shook his head, “This is crazy… A dragon wanting to mate with me. And we’d be bonded for life,” he looked up with wide eyes, “And how would I introduce you to my village? A dragon? A human male able to bare kids? Surely they would have things to say about both of those introductions, but since I’m chief, they’d have no choice but to let you be part of the clan. Even if the war spread here, they’d…” he tilted his head and furrowed his brows, “They’d probably blame you, but if you could maybe say you came to warn us and are on our side, then that could work.”

“They’d earn their trust in me and treat me as their own even during the war because I help you guys out!” Allen gasped and clapped his hands excitedly, “You’re such a smart human!”

“But I still need to learn to trust you,” Norman quickly cut off the excitement to say in a serious tone, “You seem genuine, but I believe in a build up to marriage and having kids, and I definitely need more time with you before I let you into my clan as one of our own. How much time will you allow me to get to know you and decide if I want to make this big decision?”