Lavinia

"Weeping Widow" call her those who know nothing of Lavinia's self.

She's neither in tears, nor a widow. Just a young delicate woman, who got met with an unfortunate fate.
Her eyes perpetually filled with darkness, seeping down her face, causing fear and distress in others. Living with it since the days of being a tiny hatchling, it never bothered her or was in her way, but for others, it was always something odd, weird, alien. A thing they could not understand.

This was what pushed her into solitude, far from cities or villages, far from the warmth and voices of other dragons. Unable to find anyone who would understand her or someone from her kind, years upon years passed on her lonely travels, during which she obtained many names from other dragons. In the end, the Weeping Widow was what stuck with her, becoming the only name that dragonfolks would mutter when seeing her. She learned that there are those who do not care or mind, also that there are those similar to her, but after all those years of being Weeping Widow, it was hard for her to socialize... Hence why she always moved on, traveling further in that lonely state she was so used to.

Even more years had to pass before she realized that she could no longer go on like that. Yet it was not the cold nights she spent alone, the lack of cheerful laughs, or the memory of tasty food one could eat in a city, but a weakening and painful sickness that caught onto her body and would not leave. It got very bad, at times causing her to collapse and cough for hours. It hurt to walk, hurt to look at the sun, hurt to eat or sleep. She had no knowledge on medicine, so she was without idea what monster was trying to take her out or how she could fight that beast. Forced to do so, in the hope to save her life, she kept traveling in the direction she knew the closest village - other dragons - would be.

The memory of how she arrived at the village are all hazy to her now. It hurt so badly, she saw some blood on the ground, probably from another cough. Then something shined between the trees - lights! Fire inside of lamps was flicking, dancing, and sending her signals to go this way... but alas she could not more move. Did she collapse? Lose consciousness? Or maybe closed her eyes and like a zombie moved forward? Lavinia does not remember, but the important bit was that she woke up, her eyes seeing one of those lamps up close, feeling warmth, smelling food, hearing voices. She didn't die back then! She was still alive!

Overjoyed, she wanted to leap from the bed she was in and dance around, but with how weak her body was, all she managed to do was scowl in pain. Some dragons immediately then rushed into the room she was in. Two faes were looking at her, all worried and with their mouth not closing. "Don't you dare move now! He didn't save your sorry tail just so you can make it worse again!" "Calm down, it's okay. She probably was in shock." "I doubt, but alas not I care about her reasons! Just that she was about to make all your effort worthless" "It wouldn't be worthless, brother..." And so on and on. She fell back to sleep back then, but listening to the two fae brothers bicker and just simply chat was more than enough for her.

It took her over a year to get back to health. For all that time, she was living with the two faes, at first being fully at their mercy and help, later - as she started feeling better - she was doing her best to give back, to help around and somehow pay back the tremendous debt she had towards them. She never made what you'd call a full recovery, her body most likely forever weakened, causing her to be unable to travel endlessly like before. The two brothers insisted that she stay in their village, that it was a kind place and others would enjoy it if she remained there... But although the two faes were kind and accepted her fully, she saw how other dragons gazed at her, how they whispered. She had a full year to spot all those subtle things. For others, she was and always be the Weeping Widow.

Although she left that place after two years, she was living in a place close enough for her to be able to keep in contact with the two brothers and often pay them visits. Five years later, to the village came two dragons of her kind - sandsurges. She hadn't seen them since she left her hometown many many years ago. Lavinia felt as if she was the only one left at times, but there they were - and two of them at that! They were looking for their kind too, asking around the places they visited if anyone saw a dragon that was as unique as them. When they meet Lavinia, they both leap at her to hug her, both scowling happily and joyously, getting dirty because of her eyes. But none of them minded it at that moment, as it was a truly happy occurrence.

A lot happened after that, too many things to write about. Lavinia bid farewell to the village, the faes, and the woods she knew and went with her new sandsurge friends to the place they would call their home - that's a short version that one should care about. Together they were in a place safe from sickness and kind towards them, but alas it was also a place that only others of their kind could be at. It would be hundreds of years before anyone would hear about them again; before anyone would see Lavinia once more. It's weird how many who knew her for being just an unfortunate soul, forgot about her with time, and yet a legend of the Weeping Widow would remain seemingly forever.