Mark of the Fool

“You mean, we need to talk about how cool you are?” Thundar was all smiles. “Since when the hells could you turn into a dragon? Were you always a dragon? Holy shit, you’re a dragon!”

“I—” Drestra started speaking.

“Never did I think I would live to see the day I fought at a dragon’s side,” Prince Khalik said, his grin wide through his beard. “Never, ever did I think I would see dragonfear plague my enemies! It was glorious!”

“But—” the Sage tried to continue.

“Like Thundar said, it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Theresa agreed as Brutus bounded up to her, growling and barking at the dragon. “Brutus!” she chastised him. “Use your noses, that’s our friend.”

“That’s—” the dragon started.

“Amazing.” Grimloch gave her a thumbs up. “An apex predator.”

“Yeah, what he said!” Alex said.

“What…they said,” Claygon agreed.

“Aye, s’bloody wild, but y’saved us out there,” Cedric stared up at her, looking a little crazed around the eyes. At some point before the portal had swallowed them up, his arm had circled Isolde’s waist.

Neither seemed uncomfortable and neither made a move to untangle themselves from each other.

“Indeed, I want to convey just how impressed I am.” Isolde looked Drestra up and down. “Your form is admirable and truly comparable to the wyrms of legend. But…I must ask….is this…really you? Or some form you have assumed with a spell.”

Silence followed, broken only by Drestra’s thunderous breathing.

“It…is my true form,” she said slowly.

“So, was all that story n’ such about y’bein’ adopted by your ma, the Elder. Was that all a load o’ shite?” the Chosen asked, some of his earlier enthusiasm fading. He gave a bitter laugh. “It was a right detailed tale that, for bein’ a bunch o’ made up stuff, if that’s what it was.”

“No!” the dragon spoke firmly, her voice rumbling through the cave. “It was no lie. Around eighteen years ago, my mother did find me on a giant mushroom in the swamp…I didn’t mention just how giant the mushroom was.”

“Didn’t you say that some big snake was going to swallow you whole?” Hart’s voice was low.

“...yes.”

“Was that true?”

“...yes.”

“And what about the part where Elder Blodeuwedd killed it?”

“I did not lie to you.”

The Champion of Uldar whistled. “And how big were you at the time?”

“Isn’t that a rather rude question, Hart?” Isodle threw a stern look at the giant man, while Theresa was loudly—and meaningfully—clearing her throat.

“Just trying to figure out the ‘landscape’, as it were,” curiosity marked his face. “Listen, a woman I’ve been travelling with for more than a year—who’s been fighting monsters by my side—just turned into a damned dragon. I think I should be able to ask her a few questions.”

“Aye,” Cedric agreed, his arm slipping from Isolde’s waist. “That turnin’ into a giant, fire-breathin’, walkin’, flyin’, siege engine might’ve been a trifle useful when we was gettin’ our faces kicked by chitterers, silence-spiders and bone-chargers.”

“You’re…both right,” Drestra said.

Her titanic body shifted—scales bunching like a serpent’s as she moved—then she settled on the floor of the cavern. The cave groaned as her great weight rested on the stone. “To answer your question, Hart…my mother said I was about the size of a vegetable cart.”

“Damned big snake, then. The lady’s got my respect for slaying such a beast,” Hart said. “And the part about you bawling your eyes out? Was that true too?”

“...yes.” She sighed, sending streams of smoke and poisonous fumes drifting from her nostrils.

“Uuuuhhh, if it’s okay with you, and if the others have no objections, I’m just going to uh…put Orbs of Air on everyone who isn’t wearing one,” Alex offered. “You know…poisonous gas and…confined spaces don’t really mix too well.”

“Oh, by the elements, you are right,’ Isolde’s face paled. “We were all in such a state of wonder that we completely forgot.”

“...I didn’t think of it either.” Drestra lowered her head as Alex protected his companions from imminent death.

“Right, right, so…what…y’got adopted by the Witches?” Cedric asked. “Do they bloody know y’re a great, big dragon?”

“They do now,” Drestra said. “At first, they did not. My mother didn’t bring me back to the village right away…dragons can naturally change shape—”

“Overpowered bastards,” Hart whispered.

“—and my mother knew some transmutation magic of her own. It took her a few days to calm me, but she taught me how to use my inner magics to look…mostly human.” She bared her fangs. “I can’t get the mouth and eyes quite right.”

“Explains the veil,” Hart said.

“Yes.” The dragon nodded. “And long ago, the Witches of Crymlyn used to wear veils: back when the swamp was infested with evil spirits, centuries before anyone here was born. The belief back then was that if veils were worn, a witch’s face couldn’t be seen by the spirits and they wouldn't get attached to them and start bothering or following them home.” She pointed to her snout with a claw. “Mother said she brought me to the village at night, and by the time she showed me to anyone else, she’d already hidden most of my face with a veil, so it wouldn’t be seen by any evil spirits hunting in the swamp. The other witches knew I wasn’t quite human, but they didn’t question it. I lived as a human for much of my childhood…”

Her claw scratched a trench in the stone. “...when I was older, I revealed myself to the village. They…took it well.”

“Right, that must’ve been a relief.” Alex ran his fingers through his beard. “I imagine you must’ve been dreading that day. …revealing a secret is never easy.”

“Aye, but the witches don’t ‘xactly cast out strange creatures. Not surprised they took it well,” Cedric said. “Clan Duncan an’ the Witches o’ Crymlyn aren’t too different, an’ we gots relationships wit’ some o’ th’ spirits an’ monsters o’ the woods around those parts. Don’t see dragons bein’ too different fer much o’ yer kin t’ be good with.”

He frowned. “But, still, I gots to ask, why didn’ y’tell us? Was y’afraid we wouldn’t accept ya? C’mon, Drestra, I’m not this steamin’ big pile o’ shite. Y’fought by m’side an’ saved m’life. I wouldn’t just cast y’aside.”

“No, that’s not it…” Hart frowned, the Champion’s large eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t feel right to me.”

And Alex agreed with him.

Drestra had been marked as the Sage of Uldar, destined to fight the Ravener. She was a young woman who had come to him, looking for any solution she could find to help end the war. She wanted the Ravener-spawn destroyed and she wanted this all to end.

Why would she hide such power from her enemies?

Why would she hide it from those she fought beside?

Was it a matter of trust? He remembered how she and the other Heroes had acted toward each other when he’d first met them. There was no harmony between them, and they acted like three powerful individuals who just happened to be fighting the same foes.

They weren’t a team. Maybe she thought the other Heroes would try to kill her if they knew her true form. Did she have so little trust in them?

‘No, that doesn’t make any sense,’ Alex thought. ‘There’ve been nonhuman Heroes in the past and they were treated as, well, Heroes. Besides, she doesn’t seem like the type to worry about that…the Drestra I know would use everything she had to fight her enemies. …no, it’s gotta be…Oh. Oh.

Maybe it was something more personal: something that could perfectly explain why Drestra had kept her form a secret.

“I…” Drestra paused. “You’re right, Hart. There was more to why I kept my secret.” She sighed. “In truth, it was because I understood that if I ever had to fight my way out of being a Hero of Uldar to protect my home from the church…and others…my body and its power would be quite the surprise.”

“Something that’d catch your enemies off-guard,” Hart said. “Including us.”

“...yes.”

“Well, I can’t blame you.” The Champion shrugged. “If you ever needed to escape or fight us, better to take us by surprise with a show of power and a statement that says: ‘I’m actually a dragon, so die now.’ Nobody would have seen that one coming. It’s what I’d do if I was a dragon…actually, I’d probably be eating villagers or kidnapping royals and stealing treasure, but I’m not you.”

“Thanks,” Drestra said dryly.

“I’d honestly do the same,” Alex said. “If I needed an emergency escape or battle plan, I guarantee you, I’d keep my abilities to myself too. Best element in combat’s the element of surprise.”

“Alright, so, why show us y’kin change now?” Cedric asked, cocking his head. “Wasn’t an actual life or death mission.If we failed down there, then…well, shite…now ya gots me thinkin’ about it, an’ I woulda been broken up if we failed…hells, I think I woulda been real broken up. When the hells did I start carin’ so much?”

“It sneaks up on you,” Isolde said. “It is not life and death, but it feels that way at times…but, Drestra, you were saying something?”

“Yes…” the dragon growled. “You asked why now…” And her reptilian eyes shifted, falling on Thundar. “...it’s because…of what you said to me. You said that you all trusted me when the wrath-field was taking my mind. You said that you trusted me to resist it.”

Her eyes scanned the others. “And if all of you had enough confidence and trust in me to fight my own mind, then I thought that I should trust you too. I know, it might look bad, but I thought it was better that you know.”

Alex gave her a silent nod of approval.

“I see, so you was keepin’ your true self back s’y’could blast us all t’ash if’n y’decided we was threats to ya.” Cedric shook his head. “I ain’t gonna lie, that’s bloody colder than a winter’s day in’ a bloody northern ocean. There we was, fightin’ by yer side all this time, while y’was waitin’ t’cook us if’n we twitched the wrong way.”

The Chosen let out a low growl. “I’m gettin’ real tired o’ secrets. Everyone’s keepin’ secrets. Feels like I’m walkin’ around fightin’ monsters for everyone while folk keep tryin’ to shove m’head in a damned bag. But…”

He cut himself off, looking Drestra in the eye. “Y’came an’ told us about it. Y’transformed fer us when it counted an’ y’said y’was gonna trust us now, an’ I ain’t so small a man as t’hold a grudge forever. Y’did no harm t’me, an’—if I’m bein’ real honest—if we ever need t’fight the church, s’good that we gots ourselves a secret dragon on our side.”

His arms spread wide, and he shrugged his broad shoulders. “So that’s what matters t’ me, in the end. How abouts you, Hart?”

“Like you said, we got told the truth.” the Champion shrugged. “And now we have a dragon. I see this as nothing but a win.”

“Aye, I can agree wit’ that, Hart. I can agree wit’ that.” The Chosen smiled up at the Sage. “So I’s glad t’ know th’ real you.”

“...thank you,” Drestra said. “Thank you. I imagined this going a lot worse.”

“Wait, wait, hold on, now! How come it's not going a lot worse, Cedric?” Alex’s voice rose. “The last time someone revealed their secret to you, you punched them in the face” He put his hands on his hips. “But now you’re all, ‘let’s let bygones be bygones’? This is some unequal treatment, and I protest!”

“Really?” Theresa glanced at Alex. “Things are ending on a peaceful, wholesome note and you’re going to ruin it with a joke that could stir the pot?”

“Yes!” Alex insisted, glancing at Grimloch. “I know of a very handsome intelligent person that nearly had all their teeth shattered long before age would’ve de-teethed them! And I’m offended on their behalf!”

Cedric turned toward the Fool. “Well, Alex, I’s done some growin’ lately. Besides, if’n y’re offended an wantin’ t’punch the bloody dragon in her face? Then be my guest!”

The Fool paused…his eyes slowly falling on the dragon.

Drestra grinned at him, showing her many, many, many large teeth.

“You know what? There’s something I always say. Hurray for personal growth is what I always say. Hurray for no punching!” Alex said.

“...thanks for lightening the mood,” Drestra laughed, and it was like the crackle of flame. “And thank you all…for taking this so well.”

“Hey, like Hart said, this is a win,” Thundar snorted. “Now, let’s give ourselves a nice big round of applause because I think we did real good on this mission. Real good.”

“Indeed,” Baelin’s voice boomed from the dark. The chancellor stepped into the firelight. “You have done exceptionally well. Even better than I expected. It seems you have reached a new level on your journey into Proper Wizardry.”

He looked at everyone gathered, his eyes lingering on Alex. “I believe you are all ready for the next steps of your journeys.” Meaning entered his voice. “And be prepared, they are coming soon. Very soon.”