[ WP ] As a child , you were kidnapped by a roving gang of marauders . A year later , you were saved by a dragon , who now seeks to raise you as her own .

A shrill “ Rawr! ” echoed across the interior of the cave, causing Grimlox the Knight-Slayer to sleepily open her eyes and look about her. Everything still seemed to be in order; her gold bed was still fluffed, her fine tapestries were untarnished, and the small table she used to feed her child had been upended and the contents spilled everywhere. 
 
 Seeing that everything was in order she started to close her eyes again when a thought struck her: tables are not supposed to be tipped over. Opening her eyes back up, she scanned the room again and saw a small, blonde child sitting on the floor. Her arms and legs were tucked up underneath her as she plodded along on all fours. She paused for a moment before shouting again, “ Rawr! ” 
 
 Grimlock eased her head around, causing a small shower of gold to fall down the pile. The child looked over as Grimlock whispered, “ What are you doing, Child? ” 
 
 The girl roared again before saying, “ I practice my roar! ” 
 
 Grimlock smiled, displaying hints of her long, sharp teeth. The girl saw this and giggled. “ Why are you practicing your roar, Child? ” 
 
 “ So I be big and scary! ” She giggled again as she jumped up and attempted to climb the gold pile up to Grimlock. After a few moments of struggling, and the pile of gold getting more un-fluffed, Grimlock sighed, reached over, and gently grabbed the back of the girl ’ s shirt and hauled her up beside her. 
 
 “ Why do you wish to be big and scary, ” she whispered as the girl climbed over her tail. 
 
 The girl successfully straddled Grimlock ’ s tail and grabbed on tight. “ Because you are! ” 
 
 Grimlock turned her head again and looked back at the girl, “ Do you find me big and scary? ” 
 
 The girl giggled sheepishly and hid her face. She rolled off the tail and attempted to hide behind it. Grimlock smiled again and gently lifted her tail and peeked underneath. The girl squealed and tried to find a different spot to hide behind, but to no avail. No matter which part of the tail she hid behind, it somehow kept moving despite her best efforts. 
 
 “ Tell me, Child, ” Grimlock whispered after putting her head underneath her tail, leaving the girl no escape routes. “ Do you find me scary? ” 
 
 “ You ’ re big, ” she whispered as she hid behind her hands. 
 
 “ Yes, I am, but am I scary? ” 
 
 She giggled again, before moving her hands and shouting, “ No! ” 
 
 Grimlock smiled again, “ So if I am not big and scary, just big, why do you want to be big and scary? ” 
 
 The girl started picking up small gold coins and trinkets and throwing them around. Grimlock grimaced as she did so, but allowed the small child her play. Even young dragons are notorious for aggravating their parents. After a moment, the girl calmed down and said, “ ’ Cause those p-pirates were scared of you. ” 
 
 “ Ah, ” Grimlock whispered as she moved to get comfortable. She reached over with a forearm and gently grabbed the child and brought her around front. She squirmed some, but settled down as this was quite a common occurrence for the two of them. “ Well I suppose if you must practice, Amelia, ” Grimlock said, finally using the girl ’ s real name, “ then it is only fair to let you do so. Go on; show me your best roar. ” 
 
 Amelia giggled and jumped down the pile of gold. When she got to the bottom she took a deep breath and let loose another shrill, “ Rawr! ” 
 
 Grimlock clapped appreciatively and said, “ Well done, well done, Child. Now then, have you been practicing what I told you to? ” 
 
 Suddenly sheepish, Amelia kicked her feet and said, “ Yes. ” 
 
 Grimlock rumbled low, causing Amelia to look up in worry, but she stopped after a moment and simply said, “ We do not lie in this household, Child. Have you been practicing? ” 
 
 “ No, ” Amelia said as she sat down with a huff. 
 
 Grimlock clacked her jaw together in a show of disapproval and Amelia jumped and shouted, “ But it ’ s hard! ” 
 
 “ It is not supposed to be easy, Amelia, ” Grimlock said as she pointed an accusatory claw at her. “ You must practice every day. Let me see what you can do. ” 
 
 Amelia huffed again, and kicked her feet, but after a moment more of protest she held her hands out in front of her and began muttering under her breath. A moment or so later, an enormous fireball erupted from her hands and hung in the air in front of her. It continued to grow in size until it suddenly went out with a cry of frustration from Amelia. 
 
 Grimlock nodded approvingly, “ You are getting better, Child. ” 
 
 “ No I ’ m not! ” 
 
 Leaning forward, Grimlock raised her own hand and muttered the same words. A fireball appeared in her hands, and hovered there for several moments before it also went out. Grimlock looked at Amelia, “ Now tell me, Child, did that look like yours? ” 
 
 “ Yes, ” she whispered. 
 
 “ Did it go out just as quickly as yours? ” 
 
 “ Yes, ” she whispered again. 
 
 “ So it is not that you can not do it, it is that you don ’ t want to, is that it? ” 
 
 “ It ’ s hard, ” Amelia shouted again in frustration. 
 
 “ And it will continue to be difficult unless you practice, ” shouted Grimlock, who then plopped back down on her bed in a shower of gold. 
 
 The two had a nervous standoff after that, neither one wanting to talk, and both pouting in roughly the same way. Finally, Grimlock leaned forward and whispered, “ Do you know why those pirates gave you to me so easily? ” Amelia shook her head. “ It is because they are afraid of what I can do; of my power. ” 
 
 Amelia looked up tentatively, “ Because you ’ re big? ” 
 
 Grimlock smiled and shook her head, “ No, Child, it is because of what I can do. Dragons are magic creatures by our very nature, but humans? Not so much. ” She looked Amelia over again, “ You, however, are an exception. ” 
 
 Amelia looked up at her, the confusion on her face evident. Grimlock leaned forward and continued, “ Most humans possess little to no magic at best, but sometimes an exception is born, ” she pointed her finger at her, “ such as you, Amelia. You possess one of the greatest magical talents of anyone I have ever seen. ” 
 
 “ Is that why I can make fire with my hands, ” Amelia asked. 
 
 Grimlock nodded, “ Yes that is why. And that is why I took you from the pirates. They were going to teach you about magic in their way; war, death, destruction, and treachery. You would have been a weapon, ” she frowned, “ and a slave. ” 
 
 Reaching out she picked up Amelia gently and brought her back up to her tail. She gently placed her on a softer pile of gold and wrapped her tail around her protectively. “ You would have been hunted, and you still might be, as fear of difference is a powerful motivator. You would have killed many people. ” She sighed in sadness, “ I would know; I have seen it before. ” 
 
 Looking around the cave she frowned again, “ It is not the ideal way to raise a child, and I am sorry, but here you are safe. Only a few would ever think to challenge my command of these mountains, and fewer still ever would. It is a right I have won in blood. ” 
 
 Amelia looked over at Grimlock and saw a series of scars running across her hide. She had asked about them before, but had been shushed. She gingerly reached out and touched one, only to have Grimlock turn back and stare. She sheepishly pulled her hand back. 
 
 “ Yes, Child, my own blood as well. That is why you must practice, and that is why you must grow strong. Not for my sake, but for your own. ” She leaned over and gently nuzzled Amelia, causing her to giggle. “ Only when you are strong can you decide your own fate, and defend your right to decide it. Otherwise, men who are stronger than you will decide it for you. ” She smiled, “ Do you understand? ” 
 
 Amelia smiled and nodded, “ I think so, Momma. ” 
 
 “ Good, now go practice. Become strong, and defend your right to be so. ” 
 
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 r/grenadiere42
