Chapter Thirty Four - Choosing The Name

The baby dragon awakened all of a sudden, laying its eyes on Noah and focusing on him as if it knew he was trying to make a decision on what to name it. Feeling weak against its gaze Noah started to let out everything that he had just learned from Alaric, to call it a discussion would be a lie. It was a one-sided lecture if anything similar to how Quin would teach Noah.

Noah couldn't help but feel like the baby dragon was happy to listen to Noah's rambling as he continued to spew out everything not just from being lectured but how he got into this situation in the first place, the crazy dream he had and how that seemed to be why the baby dragon had hatched and was laying on him.

Everything came out like a waterfall, not leaving any details out but the dragon didn't seem to mind; when Noah seemed to be closing up he would be nudged by the dragon's snout like it was telling him to keep going on so he would.

After letting everything out, he spread his arms out and leaned back on his arms. The dragon let out a purring sound and rubbed its nose against his chest.

'I guess I should name you now.' Trying to think about what a good name would be was more difficult than he would have ever guessed. He had come to the conclusion that he would keep the dragon's mother's last name, normally it would only be nobles who got that kind of treatment but Noah thought dragons were a lot more majestic than some human laws.

His thoughts went to a memory of his mother and father talking to him when he was very small, barely as tall as his father's knees. They were all in the kitchen together while his mother made them some stew for dinner, just recalling the smell made Noah's mouth water.

His father had Noah in his arms as they played together, being lifted into the air and dropped before being caught by him and being smothered in kisses. After a few times stopping because Nereem was telling Oran off in case something happened to him.

Dinner was finished anyways and they all day and ate it before going and sitting together and having a story to let the food settle in their stomachs. He remembered how he asked his father for a story about dragons, the dragon troopers had only been in the village a few days prior and they were still fresh in his head.

So his dad told him about the first dragon that ever wandered across the lands, Aurelius. The dragon was said to be nearly forty metres tall when standing proudly by himself, he had a white shine and would treat anyone fairly who came across him as long as they didn't try attacking him or any of his kingdom's subjects.

Noah asked where was his kingdom and how a dragon could be king. His father was only happy to tell Noah, how Aurelius was the first king to ever be. He cared over humans, beast-men, elves, orcs and all the animals under them.

His kindness was known far and wide, but one day the humans, elves, beast-men and orcs decided that they wanted to be king. That it wasn't fair that Aurelius had all the land and was king and they wanted it themselves.

So they started planning things at night while he slept at the top of the highest mountain which overlooked the whole land. They would gather in castles, telling each other plans on how they were going to kill Aurelius and take over.

It took five years but one night when the moon couldn't be seen in the sky; it was barely a sliver hidden behind the clouds. The elves used their magic to stop everyone's feet from making noise. The orc's and beast-men both had weapons made from the humans who had spent hard nights working in the forges to come out with their strongest weapons.

Enchanted from the elves magic, the orcs and beast-men were the first to attack. They had the most strength in the group and were the vanguard for the fight trying to weaken Aurelius as much as they could before the elves used their magic to grow trees around his feet and hold him still.

It was horrible for Aurelius, he had made great friends in each race and they all had small loved ones that he knew would be waiting for them at home not knowing what their fathers were trying to do at that moment.

He took every hit, blades slicing through his scales and the magic breaking them into pieces. Soon most his scales were crumbling and drifting off his body and around the attackers yet still he did not attack back.

Instead, he raised his voice and said to them, "I thought we were all friends. I thought you wanted me to be here, you didn't need to attack me at night. I thought you were all better than that. Instead of killing you all here and leaving your families hating me I will do something worse."

Aurelius started to blow cold air on all those who had attacked or used magic on him, they all screamed in terror. Their bodies changing, bones snapping and hair dropping from their skin; their skin changed colour too, into a deep olive green.

Once the change had stopped they were only 90 centimetres tall [3 feet] the eyes of each of them bulging out their skulls. Losing the ability to speak like normal they could only speak in shrill shrieks. Anyone that was wearing armour had to remove it because it was too big for them now.

Their clothes hung off their body, torn from bones twisting and turning in their chest and arms.

Aurelius only stood and watched, his scales quickly growing back from where they had fallen. The moon starting to come out from behind the clouds and shining down onto the monsters that had been made.

He didn't stay long, disappearing into the night. Leaving the goblins on the ground behind him as he flew off into the sky, never to be seen again. He changed the people that betrayed him to show their true colours; when they saw any other races they would automatically attack them as their head would fill with jealousy of others not suffering their punishment.

Noah recalled that Oran had told him it was important to be fair and just, never to hide your intentions even if it is to somebody you don't like. Aurelius was a fair and kind king for his people to do that to him was beyond human, remember when to choose to leave and let those that try to destroy behind.

As Noah slowly came out his trance of remembering the odd story to tell a young child he looked at the baby dragon in front of him, knowing what he was going to call him.

"Aurelius Taivaallinen"