Syldiox

Syldiox spread her wings to the cold winter breeze. It was early in the morning and the sun had just barely peeked above the horizon. The ground was frozen and crunched any time a dragon took a step. The Nocturne stood on the wall of the clan's pastel castle. The stones held the heat of the previous day, and while they weren't warm, they weren't painfully cold. Once the sun was higher in the sky, the tops of the walls would be ideal sunbathing spots.

"I'm glad winter's almost over," she said, looking over her shoulder. Nheyrn grunted.

"I enjoy all seasons, I can't really be glad or sad to watch this one go." The purple and flaxen Ridgeback yawned, his breath lingering in the air like a cloud of steam. Syldiox snorted at him.

"So you don't have a favorite? I really prefer summer. It's hot and it's the best time to go swimming."

Nheyrn hummed. "I don't have a favorite, no, but I do have favorite parts of each season. In autumn, I like the red leaves that fall and cover stone pathways. In winter, I like fresh powder snow. In spring, I like the green sprouts of brand new crops, and in summer, the same as you." His pink eyes sparkled as he looked down at the smaller dragon. She met his gaze for a second but looked away when she felt her chest start to warm up.

"You haven't gone swimming with me, though."

"I only started talking to you a couple months ago, and summer was just about over by then."

"It was still swimming weather."

"Oh hush."

They sat in silence and watched the sun come up over the other dragons of the clan who had better things to do.

An hour or so passed before Prince A'Nehalle joined them. The miniscule Fae settled on Syldiox's other side, away from where he could be accidentally trampled by Nheyrn. His frog advisor, Jersey Junior, sat atop his head and occasionally slowly blinked.

"Good morning, A'Nehalle," Syldiox greeted. Nheyrn also welcomed him, and the Prince cheerfully returned the greetings. All three of continued to watch the happenings of the clan.

Sunlight slowly crept over the wall and into the castle. The early morning frost clung desperately to the bricks.

~~

Syldiox and Odlamek sat in the former's room. She sat with her tail curled around her rear claws while her foreclaws were busy polishing her favorite axe. He held a small dagger in his paws, turning it over and over and watching his reflection warp on its surface.

"Do you use daggers to fight, too?" Odlamek asked, still enamored by the tool he held.

"Oh, yes. I actually use daggers most of the time. The axe is for display, unless I'm doing a performance battle. You know, the ones at festivals?"

"Huh, interesting..." He gingerly set down the blade and looked around the den. "And do you wear armor?"

Syldiox put away the polish and rags and hung her axe on its hooks on the wall. "I just wear leather armor most of the time because my magic deflects attacks. Look, I'll show you. Where's that dagger you just had? Go ahead and throw it at me."

Odlamek looked horrified. "But what if I hurt you? Like, what if your magic fails?"

Syldiox laughed. "I won't get hurt, I promise. I trust my magic, it won't fail. Go ahead. Throw it hard."

He reluctantly picked up the dagger and threw it as hard as he could towards her. He gasped as it headed straight towards her face. He was about to turn away when the dagger froze in midair about a pawlength from her nose.

"Nice aim! You threw it a lot harder than I thought you would." She laughed as Odlamek stumbled over his words as he attempted to apologize. "It's fine! You did what I asked you to! Do you trust my magic as well now?"

Still shocked, he made a noise of affirmation, and Syldiox laughed again and snatched dagger from the air.

"If you're going to visit battlefields, you have to be ready to defend yourself. I don't want you to be scared."

"I know but... I-I don't want to hurt anyone. I'd really rather not." He turned away and wrapped his tail around his hind legs. His pearl sat in his lap. Syldiox regarded him softly.

"Then maybe you should learn some defensive magic spells." Odlamek raised his head a bit as she spoke. "It's really hard to hurt someone with a spell like Barrier or Repel. Plus, they're relatively easy to learn."

"Can you teach me?"

Syldiox shook her head and ran a claw along the length of the dagger that had been thrown at her. "I could teach you how to wield a blade, or maybe how to work a crossbow, but I'm not much of a magic teacher. However, you could ask Eleanor."

"Eleanor knows magic?"

"They do, though they're kind of the opposite of me. They're a great teacher, but they hardly use magic. Lycerus might be able to help you, too. He uses more divination and natural magics, but he can help you read the books. Or maybe, he could make you a charm. You'll have to ask him, though."

Odlamek smiled. "Thank you. I'll go ask them, then." He bowed slightly, picked up his pearl, and shuffled out of Syldiox's room. She waved goodbye and selected another weapon to polish.