The Dragon's Chase

Chapter Nine

"I see that," Mardell told Cece. "Did he tell you his name?"

Cece shook her head. "No, but you said it! His name is Grizin! I wanna call him Grizzy!"

Grizin's eye twitched. "How. . .interesting. Excuse me, I have to go."

With that, Grizin turned and left. That little girl got on his nerves. . . Why did she have to come up to him? Ugh.

Once Grizin had left, Mardell sighed as she held Cece. "Cymbeline. . . You can't just wander off like that, understand?"

"But I made a friend!" Cece protested.

"I saw that, but Grizin isn't a very nice guy," Mardell told her daughter. "He doesn't like people."

"I want him to like me," Cece stated firmly.

"I know, but-"

"I want him to like me!"

Mardell sighed. "Fine."

"Yay!" Cece replied with a giggle.

---

A couple years had passed. Grizin had not been able to escape the little Tanith girl who called him "Grizzy" like she wasn't afraid of him. He learned to tolerate it. Now, she was five years old and almost always by his side. She had softened him a bit, at least around her.

"Grizzy! Grizzy! Up!" Cece said one day.

Grizin sighed upon hearing his miniature, orange-haired shadow. He could never have a moment alone, could he? Not as long as she was awake. He turned to see Cece, her pigtailed hair longer, reaching her shoulders in small fiery orange waves.

"Hello, Cecelia," Grizin told her, having since learned that her name was Cecelia. Technically, it was Cymbeline, but no one called her that. He refused to call her Cece.

"I'm Cece!" Cecelia told Grizin. "Pick me uuup!"

"Fine," Grizin replied, scooping the child up. Secretly, he was starting to like her. Cecelia wasn't all that annoying after all. However, he couldn't let her know that. It would ruin the fun.

Cecelia giggled. "I'm so tall!"

"You are," Grizin told her, trying not to smile. "You're very tall."

"Yeah! Mommy says I'm getting big," Cecelia told Grizin.

"You are, it's getting to the point where I can't pick you up," Grizin told Cecelia. "You're getting very heavy."

"You're super strong!" Cecelia said excitedly. She patted the top of his head. "You should get long hair like me! It's too short."

"What's wrong with my hair?" Grizin asked, slightly offended. He raised a hand to his head, where his hair was only an inch or so long at most.

"You'd look pretty with long hair," Cecelia stated. "Your short hair is weird."

Grizin sighed. Okay, now it was starting to get annoying. "It's easy to manage. I like it. I won't grow it out simply because you don't."

Cecelia pouted, patting his head, this time keeping her hand there. "I don't like it, it's weird on you."

"Well I like it, and that's what matters," Grizin told Cecelia. "Your opinion holds no value when it comes to my hairstyle."

Cecelia tilted her head in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"It means I don't care what you think," Grizin told the little girl in his arms.

Cecelia pouted. "But I'm your friend! You should!"

"You're also five," Grizin pointed out. "And you think that I would look good in pale pink, so I don't think so."