A normal life

My curse

I walk in and Leonard is standing next to the fence as if though he was expected me.

Leonard: “I did. I knew you were coming when you left the castle. And I agree Anthony would probably run away with his tail between his legs. Figuratively speaking obviously.”

“Are none of my thoughts sacred anymore. Plus, if you knew all this and heard all that, then why do I not feel or hear you all the time?”

Leonard: “Well, for one, you never shut up. Your mind is like a gerbil on a wheel spinning all the time. Annoying sometimes, but you are a female and an elf so one can expect as much. My species, though we have mother and father. It is more complicated than that. We have both male and female, as you would call it reproductive organs, but then we only bond with one another once one of us produces a child. We do not mate as your other pets do. We are born with an egg, yes, one each at a time. The one who has the first child is seen as the female-only after it hatches, but until that happens, we are all male. And male dragons, much as other species don’t have a constant squeaking feel in our minds. We have what I call a mute button or off switch if you would prefer. Were as females on the other hand have this spiderweb joining all their thoughts together. You could be looking at the sky one second and imagine your blue shoes that had a similar shade, then think about how you would dress the rest of the outfit to match those shoes. Thank the heavens dragon do not have to think of such.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Leonard: “You seemed curious. You have so many pets that you see as your equal and understandably as your soul is split with what your kind sees as an animal.”

“You tend to learn everything about them even before you get them. You know their history and likes and dislikes. I can feel how uncomfortable it is for you to be so intricately connected to someone or shall I say something you know nothing about. You are a history major right. You need to know everything about everything. Now you know something about me.”

“Thank you, I guess. It seems strange being so connected and know someone so well if you only met once. Sorry if this is opening up old wounds, but your mother?”

Leonard: “Yes, I know you saw that. She was killed by elves. That is why I have difficulty trusting your kind. They wanted her to fight in the war, but she was never much of a fighter she had such a kind soul. We were taught as your grandfather to never fight for something we do not believe in. She did not believe in one species being subservient to another. Why elves would you need to take the land from the dwarfs and trolls?”

“They started it when they took ours.”

Leonard: “That’s the thing it was never yours, to begin with. The land belonged to no one and there was peace. Elves, dwarfs, fairies, woodland creatures all lived in harmony. But when the different species started to become greedy the wars started. Everyone believed they deserved a place to call their own. Why for heaven’s sake, I cannot grasp. There was peace around the planet and so much love. No one judged each other. It was a simpler time then. My mom believed that that was how things should stay she did not want to mess with the balance. She died during training when they were trying to force her to be more aggressive so she could fight alongside the other dragons in the war by punishing her in various cruel manners. Once you should rather not hear more about it. She was in so much pain by the time she passed that hate grew inside me. A hate for elves and all creatures acquiescing war. The cosmic balance will be restored one day, or so she believed”

“And you think that is our fate. To do this. To bring equality back and bring down the monarchy.”

Leonard: "I do. Then introduce democracy. There should be some kind of leadership, but I do believe that it should at least be a fair vote on who should lead. Not by killing the one who does, or being born into it, but by a nation coming together and deciding who they think would be the best leader of the land. A fair and just leader. Don’t misinterpret me.

Both you and your sister will be brilliant queens, but should someone wage a war and kill you, how does that prove that he should rule the land for one, he would already be an aggressive leader and aggression and fairness is two completely different characteristics”

“Now I know why it is a curse. That is a lot for one elf and dragon.”

Leonard: "That’s not the curse you silly girl. It is just what my mother believed. The curse is much more complicated. Do you have any other dragons in the castle grounds at this given moment?”

“Yes, the once protecting us.”

Leonard: "If you manage to work around your father to spend more time with our kind you will realize that you might be able to understand them as well. Not in the same manner as we communicate. Not by the mind, no by voice as you would communicate with any other elf. We have a bond of the soul, but with other dragons, you have a bond of a lesser but still very incapable manner. Dragons will listen to you not only when talking, you have the power to control their will. Bend it to your own. 

Many moons ago, when your ancestors had the curse as you call it, my kind, never had to be trained to follow them. They did it not out of free will but because they were compelled to0.