"So tell me human what is your name?" I ask the female human after I cast my magic to create some food and water for her.
"You can use magic?!" the woman says seeing food and water appear from nowhere without me even blinking an eye.
"Yes, and quite easily too, true dragons are the closest beings to magic as our body and blood are mostly magic. Though Do you have a name or should I just refer to you as woman?" I say to her with an amused look at the pitiful creature that is a human as she eagerly eats and drinks.
"Uh, right sorry… I'm Aenela of House Targaryen," Aenela says to me in between eating and drinking.
"House? What do you mean? Do you have two names?" I say to her since my knowledge of humans is really just their average abilities and capabilities.
"Oh, I take it you haven't met many humans?" Aenela says to me while nodding her head to herself like she answered her own question.
"That would be accurate, my Clan has ensured no humans are found trespassing on our lands. While the few I did I had to kill since I was not prepared to deal with your kind just yet. But fear not, as I said I will ensure your safety, as I've grown much since my last dealings with your kind and no longer am concerned with the possible war your kind may try to wage against me," I say to her as her face goes pale slightly in fear, but relaxes hearing my reassurance.
"Well, guess I'm lucky then… though not many humans have two names. Only a few humans like myself do. We are considered nobles and there are only a few noble houses in the Empire of Valyrian. My house isn't the biggest or most influential, but we are still nobles," Aenela says to me while resting against the wall having eaten and drank her fill. The heat is starting to get to her I can tell, while the gases of the lava are being aired away from her by my presence passively.
"I see… is one of your members the leader of the empire?" I ask her as I manipulate the magic in the air to keep her cooler. Making her visibly relax.
"One of my ancestors was voted as the 'Emperor' a long time ago. Though that title is just honorary really. The noble house each has a seat on the 'council' that governs the city and Empire, while they vote for one of the current house leaders/ council members to take the seat of the Emperor. The Emperor only sits on the seat until the council members all vote them out or he dies and from what I hear, the Emperor doesn't really have all that much more power than the council, he just can change a few things without the council's approval," Aenela says to me with a shrug while thinking about her Empire's leadership.
"That all seems… pointless. Why have an approved leader but not give them actual powers to lead? Might as well just bicker with each other," I say while shaking my head at the stupidity. Aenela laughs hearing my response seemingly agreeing with me.
"You are not wrong, they do seem to just bicker all day from what my father tells us. Though he said the Emperor really is more like a mediator of the council and can force some things to pass even without the approval of all the council members. So I guess the Emperor does have some purpose," Aenela says shrugging her shoulders while thinking.
"If you say so," I say while relaxing in the lava no longer caring about human issues.
"Not to seem ungrateful or anything, but when can I return to my family?" Aenela asks me and I open my eyes slightly to look at her since I'm still shaking off my sleepiness from my last prolonged nap.
"I'd say tomorrow, you should rest before I have my clan members bring you back to your territory. If you leave now you may collapse from exhaustion, do not worry nothing will bother you while you remain under my protection," I say to her and she looks mildly upset about not leaving right away, but nods her head laying on the ground to rest.
Once she has fallen asleep, I use my natural connection to magic to easily find the kobolds stationed near the entrance to my home inside the volcano. Then I use the same connection to form a telepathic link to call for them. Once they enter they kneel before me in reverence, since the clan has come to see me as more of a god-king, than just a dragon because of my size.
"Do you see that human over there?" I say to them and they both perk up ready to kill the human on sight, but before they can run over in a bloodthirsty frenzy I speak up.
"That human is under my protection, she will be escorted by the wyvern hunters tomorrow back to the human's territory. Should you ever run into her again for some reason, she is to remain unharmed but only her. I will inform her should she return here she can visit me at any time, but no one else can come with her," I say to the two kobolds who nod their heads accepting my commands without question.
"Go inform the others," I say while they run off quickly to follow my orders.
The Kobold's love and respect for my has become insanely high, I could tell them all to throw themselves off the mountain top and they would all follow through with it without question. Some millenniums ago a few of Rok's ancestors who I bestowed some of my magic in, curious about what would happen and have passed down the capability for the clan to use magic. Now the clan has a few magic casters, which are rarer than the wyvern riders. They are not the strongest magic casters, as the strongest amongst them can only use up to level three magic. While the average can only use level one spells and maybe a handful of level two spells.
As the next day came I sat there watching Aenela sleep like a log as she was beyond physically exhausted. She woke up with a start jumping up looking around like she forgot where she was and then calmed down seeing me staring at her. Without another word I summoned more food and water for her, keeping the water suspended in the air so it does not fall to the ground or evaporate immediately from the heat in the chamber. Aenela thanked me once again and began eating her fill.
"I have informed my clan you are not to be killed and are under my protection. They will escort you back to your people's territory, once you enter your territory you will be on your own though. Though if for some reason you ever find yourself back on our side, I have informed my clan you are still under my protection, though only you. So if you come back with others they will be killed should they enter my territory, but you will remain unharmed," I say to her and she just nods her head listening to me, but I can see she is holding something back.
"Speak your mind child," I say and her face become red in embarrassment before she speaks up.
"Uhm…I have to use the bathroom," Aenela says to me with an embarrassed face.
"Then go back down the tunnel you came from, I'd rather not have my home littered with excrement," I say to her and her face becomes redder confusing me, but she nods and runs back down the tunnel she first came from. She comes back a few minutes later with a red face still while awkwardly sitting back down.
"Are you sick? Is the heat bothering you still, my magic should be keeping you comfortable," I say to her confused about her red face.
"What?... Oh no, I'm not sick and yes I feel fine thank you…I'm just…well it's embarrassing to use the bathroom in front of others or even talk about it with others," Aenela says to me while looking away embarrassed.
'Humans are weird creatures,' I think to myself as I've seen Kobolds just use the bathroom constantly in front of whoever without care, even myself before I grew to no longer need to eat, used the bathroom regardless of who was around. Now I only eat for the flavor when I crave something, though it is rare for me to crave the flavor of food.
"You humans and your weird customs," I say with a shake of my head.
"What? Are you saying you can just go at any time?" Aenela says to me with a surprised face, like I'm the crazy one.
"Yes, if I used the bathroom like I once did, then who cares, you have to go you go," I say to her as she looks at me like I'm the crazy one.
"Are you–" Aenela begins to say before two Kobolds run into my chamber and announce the hunters are ready when I command them to leave.
"Seems it is time for you to return to your home," I say turning back to Aenela who gives me a saddened look, seems she has grown fond of our talks.
I will not lie, I've grown to enjoy the human's company. Unlike the past humans, she does not fear me, nor like the kobolds treat me like a god and only wait for my commands.
'I miss the old days when Rok and I could just talk as equals,' I think looking at Aenela leave nervously with the two kobolds.
"Wait. Aenela you are welcome to visit anytime, just come to our territory and tell the kobolds that you are here to visit me. They will escort you to me and escort you home as they are now. That is if you ever want to visit me again," I say to her and she smiles at me nodding her head, while the kobolds bow their heads to me to pass on my orders.
Once they all leave the silence of the volcano returns with the only sounds of the lava beneath me. Then my loneliness returns, and sadness along with it. I've searched for years before and even sent out kobold hunters in search of another dragon. We have found no signs of one, seems I might just be the last of my kind in this world we came to. With no one to view me as an equal or speak with me like an equal I grew lonely, this human was the first being in a very long time since Rok, that spoke to me like an equal.
'I hope she comes back once again, or I may just go insane from lack of good conversation,' I think to myself and rest back in the lava quickly letting sleep take me.
I open my eyes hearing a kobold call out to me that the human I let leave has returned. I wake up immediately excited for a more interesting conversation. I asked the kobold how long has it been since she first left and he told me it was a few months since she first left. I excitedly waited for her to be escorted to me thinking about all the things I could tell her or teach her. While she can tell me more about the way humans live and how they view the world. Maybe if humans have ever come across another true dragon somewhere in the world. I would even accept a chromatic dragon as a friend or mate at this point.
"Talrit! Did you miss me?!" Aenela says walking in with a smile and looking much better since I last saw her. She was not wearing the torn-up dress as last time, but fine-looking leather armor and a sword at her hip.
"Very much tiny human, you are one of the few who is not afraid to hold a good conversation with me," I say while smiling at her and she laughs hearing me. I relax into the lava ready for another fun conversation.