The tell-tale sound of beating wings drew everyone's eyes to the sky.
"Would that be the dragon from a few days ago coming back for its scheduled appointment?" Alex asked half-jokingly, though he took a half step back and away from her.
Ciara's eyes didn't leave the rapidly approaching, crimson blot in the sky that could be nothing but the dragon from the square. Exactly seven days had passed since then and no other dragon would come here.
"It certainly would seem so." She reflexively backed up a little for it.
"And you are absolutely certain this is safe, Ciara?" Elias asked, both he and Alex backing as far away from her as possible while still being close enough that it wasn't rude.
She smiled at his casual use of her name - as she had asked them both to - and nodded.
"Absolutely. It is completely safe," she said just as the dragon sped down and folded his wings out as the first step towards landing.
As if to show off how well and healed his wing was, he beat them a final time just above the ground, creating a wave of wind that almost knocked her off her feet.
She smiled at the pride the big guy held himself with even as he stood before her. It made Kaisog sit a little straighter and puff his chest out.
"You seem to be doing well. Has there been any problems with it since then?" She met the dragon's onyx eyes gently.
He shook his head and spread his wing out to its full length, displaying it with all the confidence in the world. She could easily find the thread she had used that day in the skin still, but it didn't help hold anything together anymore.
"That is absolutely perfect!"
He released a snort in agreement, dark smoke flowing out of his nostrils.
She clasped her hands together in front of her. "All right, let me get rid of the thread again, then you will be as good as new!"
The dragon nodded at that, settling down on the ground and leaving the broad wing out at her disposal. She began unthreading it with careful hands, even though he didn't even flinch at her touch. It would be a little more difficult to remove since the skin had healed so well, but it shouldn't hurt him by any means. At most, it would be a little uncomfortable.
It was a somewhat long process, however, as she didn't want to tear anything up any further than it needed to.
Her thought-process was interrupted when a voice spoke up behind her. "How do you do it?"
She turned to look at Alex over her shoulder, tilting her head. "Do what?"
"That. With the thread."
She frowned lightly. "You mean how I remove the thread?" she asked. "It is no different than with clothes, truth be told."
"I mean - why do they not get aggressive with you? Ever?"
Though she didn't like the thought of him thinking dragons would always attack anyone, she let it lie for now.
"That is simply because I do not expect him to attack and act accordingly." She gave him a soft smile as she returned to her work, remembering she'd left the drake waiting. "Dragons are no different than humans in that regard."
She could hear the rustle of him moving just a step closer.
"Still. Every dragon I have ever witnessed has tried to attack me and others." He paused for a moment, shifting. "Even that one, I hear." He glanced up at the big and currently very still dragon.
She halted when she heard those words, accompanied by a low rumble from the dragon in question. She immediately doused that with a little squeeze to the wing before turning to face the guard.
She knew her face was hard even as she replied. "Dragons never attack unless they have a good reason to do so; I need you to understand that," she told him a little harshly. "Try to look at this from his point of view. He had just crash-landed from having his wing torn up by another dragon. He was wounded and he could not fly away. And then they were already pointing and throwing weapons at him. Of course he would lash out to protect himself."
Her words seemed to completely turn his world upside down, leaving him speechless. "Huh. I never thought of it that way."
"I know. That is why I am telling you now." She smiled lightly, once again returning to the work she'd already procrastinated for far too long. "Dragons know when you mean them well and when you intend to do them, or anyone they care about, harm." She slowly continued working the long thread out. "You can always trust a dragon's reaction towards a person as well- they are really good at judging a person's character."
Alex let out a chuckle from where he stood. "That sure is a subtle way to call yourself an amazing person."
She tilted her head towards him, unable to fight the smile that rose to her lips at his teasing. "You know that was not what I meant to say"
She only received a wink in return.
"How can you be sure their judgement is as flawless as you claim?" Elias asked.
She turned to her work again, an undoubtedly smug smile on her lips. "Well, neither Kaisog nor this one did so much as bat an eye at any of you, did they?" she asked. "Until insulted, of course." She gave Alex a pointed look, which made him scratch the back of his head with a small grin.
Her question was met with complete silence, so she decided to leave them to think about that for a moment as she focused on finally finishing what she had started.
Having warmed up and gotten used to her work, she deftly peeled out the last of it.
"There you go, I am all done." She held the long, bloodied thread out for the fire dragon to see.
He gave her a grunt as he got up to his feet and spread his wings out wide, showing off his phenomenal wingspan.
She could only smile at how obviously happy he was, laughing at his almost child-like way of showing it.
She then watched as he awkwardly bowed his head so that his teeth scraped against the scales of his chest, already knowing what he was trying to do.
She held her hands up to stop him. "You really do not have to do that. I am simply glad to have been able to help you."
He snorted indignantly, then grabbed a scale near his heart and roughly pulled it out with his teeth. He stubbornly held it out to her, almost pushing it into her hands.
She smiled gratefully at him, holding the crimson and very warm scale in her hands.
"Thank you so much. I will take good care of it, I promise." She held it to her chest, letting the warmth spread into her.
He gave her a curt nod, then spread his wings out again. With a single beat of those mighty wings, he was already air-borne, and with another, he was flying away.
She waved at his retreating form until he was well out of sight, even though she knew he didn't see her doing it. She couldn't help but wonder when and if she'd ever see him again.
"Was that a scale it gave you?" Elias asked as both he and Alex approached, the fire dragon now absent.
She nodded, smiling brightly. "Yes, it is."
Alex furrowed his eyebrows. "But why would it do that?"
Elias looked puzzled as well as he stared at the crimson scale. "And why does it still have its color?"
She smiled. "It keeps its color when a dragon willingly gives it to you and apparently loses it if it is stolen." She looked at Alex. "When a dragon gives you one of their scales, it is a token of their utmost gratitude. It is not something they do all too often." She ran her fingers over it gently.
"So, can it do anything or are they simply for show?" Alex asked, his arms crossed over his chest leisurely.
"Yes, they can heal almost anything." She grinned at their reactions, but at the same time felt a little disappointed she had to explain something she found to be so basic. It showed how little these people actually knew. "The closer to the heart the scale is, the more potent it is." Which meant the one she had gotten was the strongest he could've given.
"Holy-" Alex cut himself off. "How have we not known this?"
Elias nodded along. "How many lives could have been saved?" He was as solemn as Alex had suddenly become. "How does it work? And can it truly heal anything?" Elias' gaze alternated between her and her hands.
"What about the ones the Dragon Slayers carry around? Can they also heal even though they have lost their color?" Alex asked in rapid succession, barely breathing in between.
"One question at a time, please." She laughed at their enthusiasm. "To answer your questions; no, the scales the Dragon Slayers carry around have lost their ability to heal. They are nothing more than dead scales," she explained. "As for how to do it, you simply crack it open and pour the liquid inside into the wound - or ingest it if it is something internal you wish healed." She gently made the motions over the scale, without even coming close to bending it. These weren't to be used carelessly.
They nodded as she explained, absorbing every little drop of information she leaked.
"So, can they really heal anything?" Elias asked, repeating the question she hadn't answered.
She nodded. "Yes. At least, I have yet to hear of something they could not heal," she said. "Of course, they cannot revive a person from the dead or if they have already stepped well through Lady Death's door. Anything else, however, they can heal." She didn't want to give them any false hope.
"I see."
"Impressive," Alex spoke up. "Looks like there are a lot of things we do not know about these creatures after all."
"It would seem so." She paused for a moment. A wide smile broke out on her face. "Well, since we are to spend a lot of time together the next long while, I can teach you all about it. If you wish to learn, that is?"
Alex and Elias exchanged gazes. That short moment was all they needed.
"We would be honored," Elias said.
Alex nodded. "Definitely. I have been highly curious about your place ever since the Commander returned. He's hardly been speaking of anything else."
She smiled widely - it wasn't the first time she'd caught wind of that. Still, she was extremely happy to hear he seemed as excited by it as she was.
"It is a very different place - the paradise of dragons we sometimes call it," she eagerly told them. "Dragons are circling the skies there as often as birds do it here. They are in the streets, helping where they can and playing around with children and adults alike." The words fell from her lips faster than she could catch them, had she wanted to.
"That does sound like a paradise of sorts," Elias easily agreed.
"Right? I will tell you all about it! Oh, how I wished I could show you."
A huff sounded from their right, and they all looked on as a familiar figure came sauntering into their view.
"Do you not think it time for you to move away from your 'home', little girl?" Victoria directly asked her. As always, the woman had several of the castle maids with her and was levelling Ciara with a glare. "You are in the Southern Kingdom now, so show it the respect it deserves and put some effort into understanding it." She gave Ciara a hard look before turning around with a scoff. "This magnificent kingdom will never be anything like your little island and it never should," she harshly said as she began striding off. "Get a grip."
Alex stepped forward as if to pursue the lady. "Hey! That is no-"
He was cut off when Ciara gently placed her hand on his arm, shaking her head.
"No, she is right," she quietly told him.
Elias looked at her. "I thought you were already told not to take that woman's poisonous words to heart."
She smiled lightly at him. "I do not know the first thing about this kingdom," she conceded. "Yet."