Sing for me {Sen & Shadicmaster}

Meribeth was amused at how soft the dragon's fur was in comparison to the smooth, cool scales that he bore. There was a sort of childish playfulness to the dragon that reminded her of some of her friends back home.
"I honestly have never been far from my small town. Maybe a mile out to pick flowers with some friends, but nothing more than that. Except for now and when I would carry offerings up for Apophis. I never really knew there was anything beyond my town until I was taught that we were part of a kingdom. Even then, I hardly believed it. Hearing of lands farther east than even our eastern border...? That is a wonder... How large is the world out there, Jin? Do you know?" she asked inquisitively, eyes full of wonder as she examined what she could of the dragon. How could the great beast fly? He seemed to be nothing more than a dragon sized snake with small legs from what she could see. Did he walk among clouds? Ride other dragons? Swim? So many questions filled her mind that it was hard to keep track of anything.
 
"Oh yes, there is land in all directions past your borders. The northern lands are always cold, blizzards everywhere from what I could see. In the south are the tropical islands where fruit trees sprout everywhere and the sea dragons live by the people, with white beaches and sparkling waters," Jin spouted out excitedly. He had done a lot of exploring, and he was enjoying this rather strange conversation with the humans girl. "This Kingdom lies in the west, and even further is the western sea, overun by pirates with long scraggly beards and ships with gold." He had seen them firsthand, making a living out of robbing each other and merchants. but they never ventured last the port towns, fearing the dragon lord. The eastern ships tended not to travel that way. "Where I come from, we have tall towers and many towns sitting on mountains, so high they touch the clouds," he said, raising his head. "But I have left my country to serve our lord," he added, bowing his head.
 
Meribeth looked to see if she could possibly squeeze through the small opening, hoping to maybe catch a better look at her new acquaintance.
"So if there is so much land everywhere, why is it that no one ever knows about it? Or beyond that, how is it you were able to see all of that without wings?" she asked curiously, heart filled with joy. Perhaps her existence here wouldnt turn out to be such a horrid occurrence. There was already a dragon who may become her friend, and a comfortable place for her to live. At some point, she may even be numbed to having lost her family, though that in itself might have been a stretch.
 
Jin laughed a hearty laugh, his mouth widening to a grin. "Dragons like me do not need wings, we are like the sea dragons, except we are swimming in air." As if to demonstrate, he pushed himself away from the cliff, winding through the air, his tail swishing behind him. Loop after loop, he flew around where he was sure she could see him, making sure he flew as elegantly as possible. After a few minutes, he dug his claws into the cliff again, his eyes lowered until it was level with the gap. "Not all dragons need wings," he said playfully.
 
Meribeth was confused when first told that he 'swam' through the air, but watched as he offered a demonstration, she quickly becoming awestruck. She pulled her chair over to the gap, sitting down and watching, tracing the image in her mind, memorizing every detail she could. She would want to draw or paint this later. A slightly breeze cutting through her window played with the frills of her dress as if a kitten playing with twine, though Meribeth hardly minded at all, captivated by the unique adaption to flying that this eastern breed of dragon bore. A round of applause met him as he landed, the girl smiling brightly.
"You fly beautifully. If only humans had wings like the birds, or flexibility of a serpent to do as your kind can." she said with a wide smile, eager to learn more about him and his kind.
"Is every dragon from your home place like you? Do the humans there worship your kind like we worship the dragons?"
 
The scales around Jin's cheeks lightened, as if the dragon was blushing like a human would. "Thank you for the applause," he said shyly, his eyes cast down for a second, slightly embarassed. He'd never flown for a human before, in fact, before joining Apophis, he had never approached them before. Even though the eastern dragons were worshipped as weather gods and were often called upon to bestow rain on crops or rid floods with the burning sun, Jin wasn't one of them. He was young, carefree, and prefered to be with his own species instead of mingling with humans. "A human with wings would be a strange sight," he said, raising a clawed hand to stroke the fur on his chin, a humming sound from his throat. His eyes flickered back to Maribeth. "Oh yes, we all have bodies like this. Serpent like and no wings. The humans there see us as weather gods, bringers of rain and sun. Many of them have built shrines far in the mountains for the dragons in the sky, and there are shrines by the seaside for the sea dragons."
 
Meribeth smiled at the sight of the dragon stroking its 'beard' like an old man would, giggling slightly at the sight before quickly stifling it and listening to what more he had to say besides how odd her proposal sounded. Apparently all of his kind were the same, but his kind were much more benevolent, aiding the peoples more actively, aiding in the growth of food and the protection of homes through control of the weather. The girl then, however, felt bad that she would ever doubt Apophis, thinking to all he really does. It was by his power that this land was fertile at all, and by his benevolence that any human would be alive, albeit at a costly sacrifice. Meribeth shook her head and got up from her seat, standing once more at the window.
"I wouldnt want to be holding you back from anything you were doing. You dont have to stay if you are busied with something else, Jin." she said as she realised that not everyone had as much time to do absolutely nothing as she did.
 
His cheeks lightened again. Her giggle was lovely, enchanting, even. Were all human girls this nice? He'd never approached them before, perhaps he should start. But the serpent dragon had his fair share of damsels running away in fear at the sight of him. Just as much as there were people who appreciated the rule of Apophis and the protection and power of fertility he provided, there were some who were terrified of him, serving him with fear in their eyes. Those were the ones who tended to start pesky rebellions when they found their confidence. At her words, the dragon shook his head at her. "I wasn't doing anything, young miss. I was just flying around and then I remembered today was the ceremony. I was hoping I could sneak a peek at the new singer."
 
The girl paused slightly before reaching as far out of the window as she could, trying to pull herself out, but knew that the opening was too slight. She sighed, looking away.
"S-Sorry, I just wanted to see if I could get out and see you better.... Maybe you could ask if you can come in? Or is that against the rules for you guys..?" She was unsure as to how all of this worked, especially since no one ever came back from being a singer to tell other what to expect.
 
Jin shook his head sadly, "I cannot come in, only the royal guards and Apophis himself can enter his home. And his most loyal followers like spies and generals." He did wish he could enter and have a better look at the Singer, but it was forbidden, and he could understand. Losing a Singer would be a waste of time, humans and would risk the temper of the Dragon Lord. "I may only see you through this gap, or if you are permitted by Apophis, see me at the entrance."
 
Meribeth sighed slightly and sat back down in her seat, lightly running her hand along the soft material of the skirt. There was little else she could do in this situation, and however much she wanted to say she was in control, it felt more and more like she was nothing more than a small rodent in a cage, running on a wheel and believing that she had gone somewhere. Finally she looked back up to Jin with a weak, clearly put on smile.
"I thank you for coming to see me anyway... It at least gave me a bit of light.... But it is probably best that I seek refuge in the comforts of sleep until I am further needed.... I bit you fair travels and good day, Jin..." she said, her voice saddened, but firm enough to show that her decision was resolute. Without waiting for a reply, the small girl got up, half carrying, half dragging her chair across the stone floor, resting it back by the table, before walking to the other side of the room and sitting down on her bed.
 
Jin frowned but nodded solemnly. "Have a good sleep, then." He watched her move to her bed curiously. Did she like it here? His lord would give her anything as long as it didn't aid her in escaping, but that didn't mean singers liked it in this large but lonely cave. Kicking away from the rock, he swirled away into air, casting a few glances behind him to look at the human girl. He did feel sorry for her, Apophis never let his singer out of the cave, the only rare exception was if they had performed well. Jin had seen a few singers in the forest surrounding the cave, walking with the animals that would come to the forest after the dragon was appeased. But the eastern dragon had never seen anyone outside the hill that Apophis' lair sat on. He also knew they never had companions, with only Lord Apophis and the royal guards allowed inside.
 
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Meribeth sat for much longer than she had intended, looking over the entirety of the room once, twice, a third time even. There was nothing here, nothing but herself as her companionship. She had long ago heard of people who were kept in solitude as punishment for a crime, the silence and loneliness slowly driving them to insanity. Such a thought frightened her, making her think long and hard about her position here. At least she had sunlight, food, clothes, and the birds outside. She had even met Jin, a friend of sorts. If only there was more... She had less materially back home in the village, but what she lacked in wealth and comfort, she more than abundantly covered for in friendship and fulfillment. With a now troubled mind, the young maiden could not let herself to rest, knowing that she must settle her mind in some manor, the only true outlet there being at the moment being the many many books. She picked one off of the shelves at random and began to read of ancient history and myth, all about dragons and their dealings with humans.
 
Apophis spent the time listening to his advisors. Reports on the line between the two dragon territories worried him greatly. His greatest enemy, feared by the human subjects and some of his soldiers, was a large black dragon. He was known for being fearsome and ruthless, well built and a master of fire as he was. His nemesis had always wanted the throne of this land, battling Apophis for centuries for it, but at last the greater dragon had been chosen by Mother Nature. The opposing dragon was chased out, territories and border lines set. To this day, rumors of the other dragon pacing back and forth near the border, building an army ready to defeat Apophis were all over the place. The dragon god beckoned to one of his soldiers, requesting a visit from his singer.
 
Sitting down at her small table with the book of choice, Meribeth brushed a bit of her long black hair out of her face as well as smoothed out her dress before she opened its large, well worn pages. She was greeted with vivid pictures of dragons as great as Apophis, bound forever in flight by the ink upon the page. Shortly below the captivation picture was a bounty of words, all in a language foreign to the girl, long, and written with such grace that she found herself looking over them as if reading, despite not knowing their meaning at all. She then turned the page, a page now with words in the proper language, one she could read, and yet, the hefty weight of a dragon passing through the halls called her attention. As it drew closer, the maiden could hear even the subtle click, then more pronounced scrape of it's claws against the stone floor. As the sounds grew nearer, Meribeth sighed, shutting the book and rising from her seat, walking to the opening to her room to see what all was going on.
 
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