The Fall of Dragon Haven - A Dragonkeeper Fanfiction

Prospective Panda Prosperity

If word of their residence in Chengdu had reached the ears of Hei Lei, Yara's family or the confederates of the marriage alliance, then great pains were taken to leave the cluster unbothered. Almost a year flew by in a wingbeat without any trouble.

Chengdu was a warm respite from the winds of autumn and winter but was growing increasingly humid and uncomfortable as spring began to settle. Anh had spent his childhood in this kind of climate, but even he was growing tired of the heat that came before the afternoon rains. He and Lao found it increasingly difficult to work beyond morning when it was simply just 'hot.'

After spending the first few weeks in inns, Lao negotiated a price with a shepherd to rent his shack. It was near a secluded wind of the river and allowed them to be close to the dragons as they hibernated during the winter. Lu Yu claimed she hadn't slept so well in years, and possessed a great deal of energy when she and Anh trained after the afternoon rains had passed. Danzi, on the other hand, was struggling to rouse energy after their hibernation, limiting their capacity further to work in the heat.

It seemed at first that only Yara was embracing the change. She had confessed to Anh one evening that perhaps it was the excitement of being in a new city, trying new foods and flying over the unusual landscape that made her forget the heat. Neither of them had picked up the local language, but they felt welcomed in Chengdu. It was a peaceful time for everyone.

It was as they approached mid-spring that the heat began to affect Yara. She insisted on bathing often in the river to combat the heat, though it only temporarily helped. Anh had woken up several times during the nights to find she was already awake and was sweating profusely. They'd taken to keeping water close to where they slept for when she had night sweats, but neither that, nor the river bathing, seemed to help. Anh was growing increasingly worried that she may be prone to heat stroke.

That worry turned into fear when she woke up sick one morning. Anh cried out to Lu Yu to bring some ginseng as Yara bent double over a bowl. He brushed her hair aside – it was wet from her night sweats and he begged her to let him take her to a shaman. Yara brushed the idea off. By the time Lu Yu came in with ginseng between her teeth, Yara laughed and said it wasn't necessary. She felt better.

Anh was sitting on a boulder by the bank of the river as she swam about in the water. Yara seemed happy now. It was the only place she was comfortable. She called out to him each time she spotted a new fish, but Anh's mind was elsewhere.

He and Lu Yu skipped out on working with Lao and Danzi. A bamboo farmer had sought them out to find a panda that was helping itself to his crops. If they caught the panda, it would provide them meat and rice for the next two months. But Anh refused to leave in case Yara was sick again.

It wasn't just the sweats or the sickness that concerned him. She had been acting odd all day. She was rambling more than usual. Anh was expecting her to casually drop the news that she had a disease and was going to die at any moment in the middle of a ramble about which sauce paired best with eel, the way she was carrying on. It was driving him mad as he sat there fiddling with a reed.

Yara suddenly sank a little deeper into the water as Lu Yu flew above them. Anh chuckled to himself. Even with Lu Yu being a female dragon, she didn't fancy the idea of being seen naked. "Anh – my dress, please."

Lu Yu landed on the boulder just as Anh jumped off. How is she?

Elusive. Anh said as he pulled Yara's dress from a branch.

You don't know what's wrong yet?

No. Anh sighed as he pulled his trousers up to his knees with one hand and waded into the shallow river. Yara bobbed over to him as he held out her dress. She blushed looking over at Lu Yu and quickly took the dress from him and pulled it over her head.