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«You’re the first dragon I’ve ever seen in my life,» she whispered.
It was naive to think that a dragon could understand her. It could hardly speak human language, but fairies, judging by their behavior, understood dragon language perfectly.
The dragon picked Flora up, spun her around a bit, and then set her back down. It resembled a strange dance. It made her dizzy, but Flora liked the sensation of flying.
The fairies were jealous at the height, but did not dare to approach. It would only take a dragon protector to scare off a whole pack of fairies. Flora was content to meet a dragon, if he didn’t eat her at the end, of course. You could expect anything from dragons, after all. Flora had heard somewhere that innocent girls were sacrificed to them. Dragons are notorious lovers of earthly beauties. But what was a dragon doing at a fairy masquerade?
«Did you come here by mistake?»
The dragon understood her and shook its horned head negatively.
The mask in Flora’s hand suddenly laughed. What did she find so funny?
The fairies weren’t laughing, but were whispering excitedly. They clearly didn’t like what was happening. Flora thought for a moment that she was dancing around the hall with a beau in a golden dragon mask. It must have been the magical mirrors set up in a circle that sent her such visions. The feeling of the dance was very real. Flora covered her eyes for a moment and almost touched the face in the scaly golden mask. Too bad there wasn’t really any cavalier nearby, there was only the monster. The dragon delicately placed a paw on Flora’s arm, as if asking her to sit in a flying palanquin.
«Do you want to carry me away from here?» Flora was frightened at first. Dragons were known to kidnap innocent girls and carry them away to their lair. It wasn’t hard to imagine a dragon cave full of human bones and gold coins.
Becoming a dragon’s victim is scary, but falling into the claws of evil fairies is no better. Flora chose the dragon. She stepped into its paw and immediately found herself clutched in its golden claws.
The dragon flew out of the fairy palace and carried her high above the kraken’s tentacles stretching out of the water. Now they would grab the flying dragon. Flora squawked, but the dragon roared again, and the kraken pointed its tentacles at the palace, scaled its walls, and crawled limbs through the windows. The fairies shrieked in outrage, as if a beehive had broken out.
«He’s going to crush them along with the palace!» Flora turned around in the dragon’s claws and noticed that the kraken’s tentacles were blocking all the fairies’ exits.
«It serves them right!» The mask said. «Boorish! Too bad they’re immortal and will still survive.»
The dragon flew over the bridges spanning the sea.
«Ah, it is the rainbow of the sea!» The mask enthusiastically named the bridges. «How wonderful it is to travel on a sea rainbow!»
Flora did not interrupt her. They were not traveling over the bridges, but flying over the bridges in the claws of a dragon. The mask was enjoying the walk. Flora liked flying in the sky herself. The stars were so close! The night wind blew in her face. Or maybe it wasn’t the wind, but the oscillation of the air masses under the dragon’s wings.
It was a pity she couldn’t see the emperor the fairies had been waiting for. But the situation was tense. If the dragon didn’t carry her away, the fairies would just tear her apart.
Instead of dragging her to a lair full of coins and bones, the dragon gently placed her on the tower of her father’s castle.
«Thank you!» Flora said.
Did the dragon understand her? He hovered above the castle for another minute.
«Oh, how beautiful it is!» Flora said with a gasp as the dragon flew away. The glow faded in the distance over the sea bridges.
«He saved me! Can you imagine? Everyone is afraid of dragons and warns against dealing with them. But the dragon saved me!»
«From what was it?» The mask in her hands squinted hypocritically. «Was it from a wonderful night’s ball? We could have danced till morning. I would have flirted with your suitors for you.»
«What do you mean? They were all evil fairies! They didn’t have enough suitors of their own. They nearly tore me apart! Didn’t you see?»
«You should have asked me to turn you into a fairy, or one of them, or a fairy queen. That would have scared them. I can make you look like anything for a while.»
«Do I have to ask you to do that? You wouldn’t drink the life out of me for giving me a disguise for an hour, would you?»
«It is not your whole life, it is just a drop.»
«You are rascal! You are vampire!»
«I need something to eat, too,» the mask even took offense.
If the mask fell asleep, it became motionless.
Flora closed her eyes dreamily and remembered the flight. The dragon had carried her over the sea and the bridges. The starry heavens were as close as the canopy of a bed. In flight on the dragon it seems that the sky is a canopy over a sleeping world.
Flora has become a dreamer. Flying is so romantic. Except the dragon isn’t Prince Charming, but he’s a loyal protector. He didn’t eat her at the end of the journey. Flora’s heart raced as she thought she saw the golden glow of the sea again.
«I think I’ve fallen in love with a dragon,» she whispered.
«Yes, is it really?» The stranger emerged from the darkness.
Flora shuddered. Where had he come from? Was he hiding on the parapet of the tower? Why hadn’t she noticed him at once? And why was he wearing a golden mask? Is he in a hurry to the masquerade, too? One end of the sea bridge suddenly came to rest against the tower. It’s as if it was made for a stranger.
«Since when do you feel sympathy for the dragon, young lady?»
«Ever since the dragon saved me,» Flora stammered. The stranger was being insolent, and it embarrassed her.
«It was I who saved you,» he said suddenly.
«It was not you, but the dragon!»
«Is it really?»
«That’s right! The dragon saved me.»
«And if the dragon belongs to me. What do you owe me for riding it?»
«Who are you? Are you a friend of my brother?»
Flora squinted. Looking at the stranger was difficult. His mask shone too brightly. It was like the sun in the night! The mask was humbly silent in his presence and pretended to be inanimate. So there was something wrong with this stranger. Usually, the magic mask is very talkative. Even at the ball, she wanted to be flirtatious with someone even though her mistress might be torn apart. And some guy scares her.
«I am the dragon master,» he introduced himself and kissed Flora’s hand. His kiss burned her skin like fire.
Dancing with the wizard
«Why don’t you take off your mask?» Flora blew on her burned hand. «Or do you have dragon scales on your face?»
The stranger seemed offended, deciding she thought he was ugly. What did he expect, hiding under a mask? It was the night of the fairy masquerade. He’s probably going to the masquerade, too. Maybe he’s an elf.
As soon as he took off the mask, Flora gasped in admiration. A more beautiful face she had never seen in her life. Surely the stranger must be an elf.
«I am Flora, the only daughter of the local Marquis de Rione, the owner of this castle,» she immediately introduced herself. Such wording added to her importance, for her father was the only marquis in this pear. Majorate was not observed here, so she could have called herself a marquise, but for some reason she did not dare. A stranger might think she was already married. She didn’t want that. Perhaps she should have mentioned that she had no fiancé yet. She was drawn to the stranger like a magnet. She wanted him to feel something romantic for her.
«I’m Edwin,» the elf said reluctantly.
«You are just Edwin! And have you got the titles? What are you?»
«I am the dragon master. That’s enough to respect me.»
That’s right! A dragon can only be owned by a very noble man, or rather a very noble elf.
«Where do you live? Do you have your own castle?»
«Yes, I do.»
«Are your estates large?»
«They are larger than this manor.»
«Then what are you doing here?»
«I flew to the fairy masquerade and my dragon noticed you needed help. The fairies attacked you.»
«Did they mistake me for someone else?»
«Fairies don’t usually make mistakes.»
«But in my case, they did.»
«Are you sure?»
«I am!»
Edwin’s skin and golden hair glowed by itself. She guessed all elves glow in the dark like stars. Flora liked Edwin so much that she instantly forgave him for burning her hand. He must have picked up dragon manners from his time with the dragon.
«Why is the way to the fairy masquerade through the Earth Garden?» Flora wondered. «Is my ancestral castle enchanted?»
«I don’t think so. The portal to the fairies’ residence opens in a new place every time. Someone must have practiced magic in this castle if the portal was found in your garden this time.»
«It wasn’t me!» Flora hastily hid behind her back her mask. It laughed at her mistress.
«Then perhaps a witch has taken up residence in your towers.»
Flora didn’t like that assumption. Maybe Edwin was joking. Sometimes he seemed to speak in riddles. He was difficult to talk to, but you could drown in his eyes.
Flora was extremely disappointed when he said:
«I have to go.»
«But why is it?»
«I must return to the fairies’ residence to restore order. The fairies can’t keep harassing random guests.»
«Do you think those beasts will listen to you?»
«They’ll have to,» Edwin’s eyes glittered coldly.
«And who are you for the fairies to listen to? Are you a local steward?»
«It is something like that.»
«You’d better stay here. It’s safe.»
«I wouldn’t say that,» Edwin sniffed the clear air above the towers. «There’s an aura of black magic over the castle.»
Again he alludes to the witch in the locked towers. This is too much! Flora was angry, but she still didn’t want to let Edwin go. It felt like if he left, the sun would set.
«Will you pay us a visit? Come to dinner tomorrow.»
«You’re inviting me?» Edwin looked surprised, as if she’d said something stupid.
«Of course I am.»
«What if the dragon comes with me?»
«I don’t suppose it would want to join a human dinner?»
«What if he did?»
«His face wouldn’t even fit through the door,» laughed Flora.
«Suppose he can shrink in size when he needs to, and he can even sit at the table with you.»
«I don’t think he’d like salads, pies, and baked apples. And I don’t think dragons drink wine.»
Edwin laughed.
«Are you so sure?»
Flora blinked her eyelashes. His laughter sounded like the tinkling of bells. The laughter of elves must mesmerize people and rob them of their considerations. She was willing to promise Edwin anything.
«How many dragons do you know personally?» Edwin asked her with a laugh.
«Only one so far, it is yours.»
«And not very close. You’ve only ridden it once. But I controlled it.»
«Would it have thrown me off otherwise?»
«It could have been worse.»
Edwin’s eyes glittered so dangerously that Flora backed away from him, her back against the parapet. There was nowhere else to retreat.
