[ WP ] He had the will of a hero , and the soul of a dragon .

We had always joked that the maths teacher, Mrs. Gresnich, was a dragon. Boy did she roar, and after shouting you down there was nothing but ashes left. Not to mention her purse, which glittered like fake gold and which she clutched close at all times. 
 
 But, James, he did n't care. She'd screech at him, and all he'd do was pick his nose. Of course, he spent half the classes sitting outside, or outside the headmaster's office. That was the thing with teachers: you never won, even when you were right. Nothing to be gained, but the glory. 
 
 Because, really, everyone knew James. He was a legend that would get passed on until the day Mrs. Gresnich kicked the bucket. 
 
 That we stood there at the memorial, and people would come over to see him, well, that spoke to the truth of it. He did n't look particularly happy about it, but he shared a smile and a handshake with them. 
 
 In a way, his arrival surprised me. I was stuck in the neighbourhood, taking over my old man's shop. He was half the world away, more or less, working over in London. Surprised us all that, somehow he'd gotten into a half-decent uni and continued on from there. Never expected the old James to do that, when he could barely add two and two to make five—he normally got seven. 
 
 So, I'd nearly missed him when he turned up in a suit and tie, hair neatly combed and expression sombre. Clapped him on the shoulder, and he lit up when he saw me. Hugged me hard, not like back in the day. Made me realise how much time had passed, and how much it could do. Basically took a lump of a boy and chiselled him into a man. Not like me, sitting on my arse all day selling cuts of meat for a meagre living. 
 
 He'd brought along one looker of a wife, too. Legs for days and all that, but she seemed sweet. The two of us fell in like old buddies, as she drank up the stories of our misspent youth. He did n't intervene at all, but looked decidedly uncomfortable with the memories, no doubt something he wanted to distance himself from. 
 
 But, well, where we all stood, that was a reminder that our past was n't there to be forgotten. In their own way, many people had shaped us into who we'd become. The time I'd spent with James taught me what it meant to be a hero. No one cared about men in tights saving the world, but a mate that would tell old Mrs. Gresnich to bugger off when she set her sights on some poor, snivelling lad? 
 
 Yeah, I'd spent a lot of my misspent youth wanting to be like James. A recurring dream of mine had been to turn up at our old school, walk into that dusty maths room, and tell her what I bloody well thought of her. 
 
 Of course, I'd never actually do it. James was a hero because he was a puny git with a voice that cracked every other sentence. A hulk of a man like me shouting at an old lady, well, I'd be lucky if I got off without the coppers being called. 
 
 James probably did n't think of himself as a hero either, not at the time and not after all that time. I dunno if he was ever scared, probably was. Always grinning, always scared, always standing up. A kind of trinity of hero-ness. 
 
 I asked his missus what he was up to these days, and she rubbed her belly and spoke of moving out to a small town, far from the smoggy streets of the capital. Laughed, and threw in my thought that our old town had its charms, and she laughed too. James did n't, but he had n't laughed at all, over the afternoon. 
 
 The merriment died out during the service, and we wandered around the three of us, saying our kind words to the family. Of course, James could n't catch a break there either. 
 
 “ James, as in James Williams? ” 
 
 He nodded, awkwardly avoiding meeting the daughter's eyes. 
 
 “ She spoke fondly of you, ” she said, smiling what looked like a natural one, and not the fake, mourning one exchanged with the other guests. 
 
 “ She did? ” he asked, surprised. 
 
 Chuckling, she softly shrugged. “ Well, she spoke of you. At least, she kept complaining about you and your legacy. ” 
 
 “ I see, ” he said, bowing his head. “ I'm sorry, I was a troublesome child for her. ” 
 
 “ No, no, ” she said. “ It got her fired up. Even in her last days, she'd perk right up when it came to telling us all what an ungrateful child you were. So, I'm thankful for your trouble, we all are. ” 
 
 Say what you will about Mrs. Gresnich, but her daughter was wonderful. I had n't thought James felt guilty about those years, but she'd cut that all away. I could see the difference in him, and the smile he had was like when he spotted me. 
 
 “ I'm thankful for her trouble too, ” he said softly. 
 
 She laughed back, and replied, “ She'd be glad to hear that. ” 
 
 And, we all left it at that. Me, him and his missus took off to a nearby pub. I dunno if I was spoiling plans or anything, but he needed a friend. Not to talk to or anything, just to keep her from badgering him. 
 
 So, I did my best to keep her attention, telling her many tales about that old dragon of a maths teacher we'd had, while tears swelled in his eyes, and did my best to cough over any sniffles he did. It took a good half hour before he started regaining his composure, and a moment's reprieve was granted when she excused herself. 
 
 James, he'd really grown up since those days. Or, maybe he had n't, and I'd just been too busy admiring him.'Cause, he'd always been a kind person, good-hearted I should say. So, having such a nice and caring wife, well, that was n't a surprise. And, getting emotional over how he treated Mrs. Gresnich, even if she'd deserved it, that was n't a surprise once I'd thought about it. 
 
 He reached over, and patted the top of my hand, before leaning back in his seat and staring at the ceiling. “ Thanks, ” he said. 
 
 I smiled, taking a sip of something far less alcoholic than normal. But, my company was a pregnant lass and her designated driver, so I could put aside my usual for the day. “ No problem. ” 
 
 His head tilted to the side, towards the bathrooms, and then back to how it was. “ You know, Mrs. Gresnich was the bitchiest bitch who ever bitched. ” 
 
 I laughed. “ Yeah, she was. ” 
 
 “ But, ” he said, and his voice grew strained from just that word. “ Whenever I asked her for help, she did n't tell me to bugger off, or ask me what the point of helping an idiot was, or say it was too late for me to start now. ” 
 
 Ah, yeah, most of our teachers were like that. Oh sure, if you were a sweet, young girl, they'd help you out. Boys were a waste of time, could n't be bothered to listen the first time, teachers had better things to do with their time. Really, it was a surprise any of us lads had even made it to uni, though I guess some of them actually did pay attention in class, and did their homework, and studied at home. 
 
 “ She never complained, just helped me. When no one thought I was worth a minute of their time, she helped me get into university. ” 
 
 I doubt anyone had ever been brave enough to ask her for help before. Not even heroes asked dragons for help. Heroes were there to slay dragons, to fight against them to the death and claim the treasure. Maybe get the girl, who had been trapped in a tower for some unknown reason. 
 
 “ Really, it's thanks to her I'm happy today, ” he said, softly. “ Thanks to her, I met my wife, found my dream job. ” 
 
 “ Yeah, you really pulled your act together, ” I said. “ Hardly recognise you. ” 
 
 He laughed, nodding his head. “ I always wanted to come back, and say thank you to her. But, I kept thinking she was n't going anywhere. For some reason, I never thought she'd die. ” 
 
 “ Same here. ” 
 
 Looking off the side, his missus emerged, walking over with the barest signs of a bulging tummy. Only a few months in, so another half a year or so to go. And, that led to me thinking about what Mrs. Gresnich had been like as a kid. 
 
 For some reason, I thought she must have been like James. A wild child, full of vigour and more questions than answers. The tomboy who shouted down the boys that bullied girls, and gave them a good kicking if they answered back. 
 
 I dunno why I thought that, but it was something about how he was the only one who could confront her. Kindred spirits, from different times. So, if she was a dragon, then surely he was too. 
 
 Watching him dote on his missus, while he'd been so lost minutes prior, warmed my grimy heart. A real good guy, and I guess Mrs. Gresnich had known, even if she'd been a real nasty woman, who picked on kids until they cried. She was definitely a dragon, through and through. 
 
 Him? He had the soul of a dragon, but the will of a hero.
