Ordodol was the youngest to hatch from the Great Mother Wyrm, as she was called. Residing in her court, he learned a dragon�s place at an early age. The enjoyment of beauty being vice, and vice being the business of dragons, Ordodol wholly committed himself to the enjoyment of beauty.
Ordodol built his lair deep within the swamp beneath the surface of its still running waters. A mud hut village was nearby. The villagers lit a bonfire in the evenings. They would dance and sing after their evening meals. He enjoyed the sounds of the villagers� evening entertainment. The sounds of their songs echoed through the chambers of his underwater lair.
One evening, Ordodol decided he would go to the village. He lacked amusement in his new home and wished to see the people perform their dances. He used his magic to transform himself into a man, and worn a man�s clothes. Ordodol admired his image. He was tall with smooth skin as black as the night.
The swamp was quieter than usual. It was as if all of nature felt the disturbance of his presence. However, Ordodol was able to enter the village unnoticed by the villagers in the dark. He enjoyed the mixture of the smells of the swamp and the bonfire, the light of which danced across the surface of the swampy pools of water.
Ordodol felt an itch on his wing as the wind gently whispered. He reminded himself to focus. He needed to appear like them.
The trip to the village was, in the end, brief. Ordodol may have thought to gain his concentration, but he had failed. A shrill scream followed by sounds of mass hysteria alerted him to the fact of his discovery. He stretched his wings and took flight fanning the bonfire and causing a flurry of embers.
And so the villagers, knowing no other cause of action, began the construction of an offing place. They built a platform as wide as the dragon�s wingspan. Upon the platform, they piled food, wine, gold and gems. Ordodol heard of their platform and began accepting the offerings. It seemed a natural circumstance. They lived in his land and he had not eaten them, as it was his right to do.
Ordodol felt it was inappropriate for the villagers to worship him without the benefit of his image. To show his generosity to the little villagers, Ordodol graced them with his appearance regularly. The villagers being sufficiently frightened by this posing constructed a great statue in his honor.
One day, a band of adventurers were heard noisily making their way through the swamp and heading toward the village. The villagers hid in their homes while the adventurers hollered out to them. The adventurers searched their homes rummaging through their belongings. Villagers were frightened.
The next day was worse than the last. An archer slew one of the young men changing the daily food offering. The villagers were too frightened to retrieve his body. They were forced to leave him until nightfall.
Ordodol was outraged by this insolent behavior on his property. Why should such nuisance disturb his tribute? Ordodol again transformed into a man, but this time he would not visit the village. Ordodol was going to make sport of these noisy adventurers.
In the dark, he was invisible. He moved from shadow to shadow without a sound. He heard the boorish singing of campfire songs in the distance. Certainly they had no fear of detection. As Ordodol approached, they began to break off for the evening. Two remained at the campfire and he held his approach to listen to their conversation. While focused on listening, a volley of rocks and nets and chains took him by surprise. The method of attack was crude but effective. Ordodol was knocked unconscious.
He awoke unable to move and surrounded by an impenetrable darkness. His body ached. He could hear the sound of someone softly breathing close to him. A voice whispered to him in his own Draconian tongue.
�You have been captured. You are a prisoner and alone in this place. You are helpless. You realize you would be dead had I chosen it so. You were spying. What did you hope to see? What will you say to save yourself from your fate?� He felt the warm breath of the whisperer on his face as the gag covering his mouth was loosened.
Ordodol was indeed helpless. The strength had left his body. He had not been prepared for this turn of events. He wondered how he had been seen, why he had been taken alive and if he would know his captures.
Before he formed his response, he heard a knock at a door. His captor answered. At least now he now knew he was inside a room of some kind. He listened to the melodic sounds of the unfamiliar language over his captors� brief conversation. The door opened and closed again. Was he alone? The silence was unbearable. He felt as though he could hear the sound of his blood gurgling through the veins of his head and the sound of his breathing echoed to him through the darkness. He blacked out.
�Wake up.� The whisperer had returned. � Try and open your eyes.� She continued.
�Who are you?� Ordodol was unable to focus his eyes.
� I am the only ally you may find here, so you had better listen. I know what you are, dragon. The others do not. They are still looking for you and your lair.�
�Why have you not revealed me?�
� I seek no war on dragons. We have come to this place on a mission of rescue not bloodshed. I offer you an opportunity to make an exchange. Will you strike a bargain with me?�
�You plan to free me?�
� I will accompany you to your lair where we will negotiate fair terms on the condition that you will not harm me as I have not harmed you. I will have your word.�
The journey through the swamp was not easy. The stranger removed the ropes and manacles that bound his legs, but Ordodol continued to be dependent on the stranger for support. His strength had been sapped from his body. At times he wondered if he was not dreaming as he fought for consciousness. When they reached the waters that held the entrance to his lair, the stranger removed his blindfold and offered him a potion.
�You have trusted me as agreed. I will now restore some of your strength as I have agreed.�
The liquid was cool and tasted like unripe berries. The blood coursed hot in his veins and he could feel his strength begin to return.
�Hurry.� Said the voice.
Without the time to think on adjusting to the new balance of power, Ordodol dove into the swampy waters. She followed through the cold, wet darkness without hesitation. Ordodol darted through the waters with speed and agility. They arrived at their destination after a sudden sharp upward turn.
They surfaced in a pool of fresh water. The pool was in the center of a cavernous room lit by torches on all sides. Ordodol�s eyes adjusted quickly and he could now see his accomplice clearly as she stood atop the water surface.
�Nice trick.�
�Lovely place you have here.�
�Would you care to tell me what this is all about?� Ordodol queried.
�Perhaps we could discuss this over a fire?� She suggests.
�Will that do?� Ordodol waived a hand and a large fireplace was now visible on the far end of the room.
�You have been accused of holding the fianc� of a city official as your prisoner. He intends to have her returned. He will not rest until he has her.� She explained.
�I keep no prisoners. I have no need of prisoners. It�s outrageous! He comes here to hunt me! In my home! An upstart of a man! A puny city official!� Ordodol paces back and forth growing angrier at every step.
Ordodol and Ailinn had much to discuss. Ailinn had joined the council of the City of Meade some years past. No one in Meade had any idea of who or what she really was. She had become adept at disguising herself. She was also young and preferred the society of humanoids where she was seen as exceptionally talented while other dragons had no use for her at all. Ordodol could relate. It is best to be loved. If not loved then feared. And if neither, to find better circumstances. The two set down to rest near sunrise.
Ailinn woke abruptly. She could hear the cries of the villagers on the surface. Ordodol was already gone.
"Heathens! You hide the dragon! We shall set your homes a flame!" In the village, the rescue party was again ransacking.
Ailinn had to decide on a course of action quickly. If she tried to leave the lair, she would surely be seen. If she did nothing, Ordodol may be killed and she may never discover what he knows about the missing woman. Without her, Ailinn may never be welcome to return to Meade having set Ordodol free. She had no choice.
Ailinn burst through the surface of the water at full speed soaring high into the air. She tumbled and dove making a spectacle of herself.
"Ordodol, help me frighten them away. Don't kill them! Please! I can make them leave this place. They don't know what they're doing." She roared out across the battlefield.
Ordodol did not have the opportunity to answer, before the men sounded their horn and called for retreat. One dragon is enough to fight. They were not prepared to meet two.
When the men had retreated, Ordodol set down on the ground.
"Where is the Elder?" he demanded.
A trembling old man hurried toward him. He lay across the ground in the deepest of bows daring not to look at Ordodol.
"Rebuild your homes. These men will not return."
"Thank you. Thank you."
"Go!"
Meanwhile, having seen her party run off, Ailinn flew off a safe distance and returned to her elven form. She now watched Ordodol from the treetops."
"Ailinn! I smell you. We will discuss this. Now!" he roared at her in draconic which frightened the villagers away.
"Now will you tell me what you know?"
The two had returned to Ordodol's lair and were now comfortably seated in his antechamber.
"You've stated the missing woman is elven and from across the sea. If it's the woman my spies have reported seeing, it'll be a nasty bit of business getting her back." He filled two golden goblets with red wine from a bottle covered in barnacles and offered Ailinn a glass. "The goblins to the east have been enchanted by a hideous mage. They have been taking prisoners to work on constructing a path to the Dark Caverns. I have seen no reason to involve myself up until now, but this situation is becoming tiresome."
"You won't have to involve yourself further. I can return to the rescue party and lead them away."
"They won't be successful. The goblins have seized a castle. It's well fortified. Trolls stand guard at its gates. Anything could be inside."
"I will take that risk. If I don't, I can never return to my home."
"You call a life with humans home? Well, do as you wish."
Ailinn returned to the campsite of the rescue party.
"Hear me. Where is Omicron?" She addressed the woods.
"Hear you? What have you done? Did you not let our prisoner go? Did you not abandon this party and leave us all for dragon's feed? I'll bring you to Omicron alright." Two rangers dropped from the treetops each seizing an arm. "Omicron will want the pleasure of killing you himself."
The rangers led her through the maze of trees to the temporary base. It was disguised as a great oak overtaken by the vines of the marsh. A door appeared in its trunk and an elven man appeared. He had the look of age about him.
"Bring her inside."
Ailinn was brought inside the tree that was not a tree and made to sit at a rustic table. Omicron, Willow, Kimmy-Ko, they were there.
"Leave us." Willow directed.
"Yeah, leave us." Kimmy-Ko piped up.
"Kimmy-Ko, I don't want to risk the possibility that she was tracked. Would you scout the area?" Kimmy-Ko left not fully understanding Willow's meaning.
"I assume you are here for a reason?" Willow turned her attention to Ailinn.
Omicron held. He had long ago learned to control his fiery temper in favor of more diplomatic tactics.
"I apologize for my strange behavior. There wasn't time to lose. The prisoner led me to a castle fortress some mile or so from here. Goblins and trolls have been enchanted by a mage and have taken control of a castle to the east. I wanted to be sure of the information and the location before bringing you the news. The dragon does not have your bride."
"And where is the prisoner now?" Omicron asked suspiciously.
"I took out a few of the perimeter guards, but the prisoner was hit by an arrow. He was too weak from our capture and didn't survive. His body lies in a riverbed."
"Why go ahead alone? Why ignore the chain of command?" Omicron asked.
"The prison was frightened. He took a chance coming here in hope of asylum and we pummeled him. He would not have cooperated otherwise." Ailinn explained.
"You did what you had to do. I am glad you are still with us. I would hope to be a better judge of character than what I felt at your disappearance." Omicron embraced her and ushered her to the stair. "Rest while we prepare to break camp."
"Willow, what are your thoughts?" Omicron turned to his trusted friend and advisor.
"We must watch her. I don't know what it is, but something isn't right here.'
"Agreed."