Dragon heart

22

(Chapter 22)
The dilemma

'Normal' - Human tongue
'Dragonese' - Dragon's tongue

~*~

Author POV

Jimin had as he predicted had been scolded severely by Aife and later by Cadel. He had rattled of some nonsense excuse about being distracted by the beauty of the landscape and how the stars had looked. Taehyung had remained silent but enthusiastically nodded his head at Jimin's explanations, trying to help him sell the story to the disbelieving adults. 

He had been forced to clean the knight's armour after training as a punishment for staying out late. So that is where he sat now, hands wrinkly from the water he kept dipping his hands into as he scrubbed down the armour with a now filthy washcloth. 

Taehyung had helped in the beginning but he didn't have a long enough attention span, so soon after had curled up in a ball to take a nap, leaving Jimin to do all the work. Jimin sighed as he finally dropped the last clean chest plate down, able to see his own reflection in the metal. Face flushed, hair in a nest like state from where he had been pushing it out of his face as he worked.

He didn't mind doing the mindless task. It had given him time to think over everything that had happened recently. The fact that he was the King of dragons, it still hadn't settled into his mind, but he had begun to see the bricks that had built that platform in his mind. 

The way he had held no fear for dragons as a young child, whilst everyone seemed to shy away from the reptilian creatures. How he had understood them while everyone else remained oblivious to their cries for help. 

How the language of the dragons came to him naturally when he needed it. His mind making the simple translation, how he just knew how to ride a dragon. All of his natural instincts surrounding dragons were all adding up. 

All he needed was time. Time to process it all, get to know the dragons as he had done for Taehyung. Then he may feel comfortable with the title the fates seemed to have placed upon him. 

He pushed himself to his feet, lifting the metal armour pieces and putting them into their rightful places in the armoury. Pouring the filthy water out of the window and onto the path below, being careful not to splash anyone. 

He approached Taehyung nudging him with his foot, till the dragon was turning sleepy towards him. 

"We are going" Jimin's voice came out in the deep rumbling tone of the dragon's language. 

"Okay" Taehyung uncurled from his ball, sluggishly moving to his feet to trail after the human. 

It was going to be Jimin's birthday in the next few days, then it would only be two years until he could apply to be an official dragon rider. Jimin would be taking the trials with Taehyung as his dragon, but he felt conflicted. 

While he originally wanted to be a dragon rider because they looked cool in his opinion. Then it had been because he wanted to keep Taehyung safe from the knights and whatever his fate would have been if Jimin didn't interfere. 

Now he knew of his true role, serving as a dragon rider in the King's army seemed less of a 'cool' plan. The King who proclaimed himself the King of dragons, not because he meant to rule them  but because he believed himself to be above them, wanted to crush them below his feet and make them submit to the human species. 

Jimin decided he was going to leave the decision until after the weekend meeting with the dragon colony. 

~*~

They were all waiting, antsy for his arrival.

"What if he isn't coming?" Jungkook whined, he was pacing around the cave floor. 

"He will, he promised" Namjoon's tone of voice stated finality on the discussion. 

Then they heard the familiar sound of wings flapping. Rounding the corner they saw the bright purple scales of Taehyung's dragon form. They were quick to rush across the platform to the pair's side, watching as Jimin slid down Taehyung's fore leg. The moment Jimin touched to the ground Taehyung took on his humanoid form. 

Jungkook unable to contain himself pulled Jimin into an abrupt hug, startling the poor human. But never the less the moment Jimin processed the fact he was being hugged, he immediately hugged the young dragon back. 

Seeing that Jimin was willing to reciprocate hugs, instigated a round of hugs that left Jimin feeling overwhelmed by the end. But ultimately left a warm feeling in his chest, both from the fact dragons run warm and the internal feeling of being needed. 

They were happy to pull Jimin into the warmth of the caves, the platform the dragons chose to land upon had a harsh cold wind that breezed through the gorge, leaving someone who doesn't run as warm as a dragon cold. 

"How long can you stay?" Jin asked, coral pink eyes upon the shorter human. 

"The whole day, but I have to be back before the sunsets" Jimin informed him, it had been bashed into his head by Aife and Cadel that morning. He didn't particularly fancy losing his flying permission any time soon (which is what the pair had threatened him with if he came back late). 

The caves were warm and just as twisty and turny as they had been when Jimin first visited. He found himself to be lost once more, but he trusted that the dragons would get him out of the caves should it be needed. 

~*~

They found one of the many side caves in the main cave. A warm fire had been lit in the middle and Jimin reached out his cold hands in an attempt to warm them once more. While there was silence at first when they were getting settled, soon the dragons had dived into a conversation. 

"What are your colonies like?" Jimin found himself asking.

"We all go separated for safety and to be spread out when the time came to find you. My colony is by the sea, we live in the caves along there, we can see the sea from the caves. It is especially beautiful at sunrise." Jin responded. 

And so they continued, explaining to Jimin all about the dragon colonies. Jimin listened completely enraptured, learning all about the dragons. They did it in a surprising amount of detail, so much that Jimin had clear images in his mind of each location the dragons described. 

He learned of the mountains, the sea, the volcanoes and the forests the dragons had come to call home. And in a way by the end of the conversation they almost felt like his home too. 

~*~

I know this chapter feels a bit like a filler chapter, that is because it is meant to. The next chapter features a time skip, so we'll be seeing an older Jimin and his protectors. 

Anyway I hope you liked the chapter none the less.

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Bye,
Winter