THE MOMENT
The void stirred. Paul's steps into the depths of the cave woke the darkness as a pair of brilliant golden eyes opened; they were already focused on the leather-clad warrior. Heavy, slow movement disturbed the ground and cavern walls as the inky black shape swirled and repositioned itself. Paul knew he didn't have much time and risked making it shorter. He threw down his cracked wooden shield and chipped iron sword, then spread his arms out to show he was empty-handed.
"The king killed my family and everything I love, will you help me?” Paul expected, at the worst, instant death. On the hopeful side, he imagined a cunning creature willing to bargain. The one thing he didn't expect was laughter. It was probably laughter. Gentle, staccato rumbling emanated from the deep shadows, and a golden glow blossomed behind it to fill the interior with light. The immense dragon stood before him with abyssal black scales that seemingly absorbed the faint light near them.
"Interesting....," the soft, feminine voice that came from her surprised Paul; but, he was glad for any sort of response that wasn't murder. "...what help do you seek?" she asked.
"Revenge!" he replied. It should have been obvious; but, he wasn't going to mock a dragon for it. She laughed.
"I'm not an idiot. What EXACTLY is your plan?"
"I want to make him pay! He's corrupt and cold and our kingdom needs new leadership; I want him off the throne." The black dragon opened her mouth and yawned; heated air flew past Paul; but, he remained still.
"Those are goals; what's your PLAN?" she asked.
"You're great and wise! I would seek your advice on constructing the perfect plan to humiliate the king."
"So...," the dragon's eyes, each one larger than Paul's head, focused on him. "...you're not asking me for help, you're asking me to do everything for you....," she sighed. Then, nodded after a moment of deliberation. "What's in it for me?" she asked.
"You'll help!?" Paul asked eagerly.
"What's in it for me?" she repeated her question.
"Anything! Anything I can do, anyway. Once the king is off the throne, I'll make sure whoever is next doesn't send any more knights to bother you!"
"You don't have a plan; and, you don't have a reward in mind...," the dragon's eyes sparkled with obvious amusement, and maybe a little bit of hunger. Paul hoped she was just entertained. "Those are really things you should have thought out before asking for 'help'," she said.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood," she laughed. Her eyes focused on something next to him and Paul turned to see a tall black portal. "Go through there and you'll find help; tell them Celestrix the Void sent you," she said.
"THANK YOU!" Paul rushed forward; but, he caught himself before he got too close. He almost tried to hug a dragon and he had no idea how that would turn out. "I'll keep my promise! You'll see! No one will bother you again once the king is dethroned."
"Do not worry yourself over that," Celestrix shook her head. "The king will remain in power for some time still," she added. Paul had already turned to walk into the portal; but, he stopped.
"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked. "You're helping me take him down, right?"
"I'm helping you," she nodded. "Exactly what you asked for when you came in."
"Right, I asked for help getting my revenge on the king."
"Not really, no," she laughed. "You asked for help without knowing what help you wanted. I chose what help to give," her eyes glanced at the portal again to make the point.
"I WANT TO DESTROY THE KING!" he yelled.
"How?" Celestrix asked curtly.
"BY HAVING YOU RAZE THE KINGDOM!"
"Oh." She replied. Then, she smiled at him; her eyes lost their amusement. They turned hard and cold. "That I can say no to," she said. "There's nothing in it for me." She took a big step forward and butterflies took flight in Paul's stomach.
"Maybe I'll just go ask over -," he turned back to the portal; but, it was gone. "What about our deal!?" he was quick to face her again even as he took a step backward.
"No such thing happened," she replied. "You asked for help, I offered it. You asked for different help, I denied it. At no point did we come to an agreement," she took another large step closer to him.
"This is going to keep happening!" he said. He couldn't outrun her. But, she'd proven somewhat reasonable. "The king is just going to keep sending knights to slay you! It won't ever stop! I thought you were in a good mood!" He bargained with every step back and at that last outburst, she stopped.
"I was," she admitted. "I was happy that my food got here; I was less happy about the thought of letting it go," she added and leaned forward with an imposing posture without taking a step. "But, things worked out okay," she giggled. "You were better off asking vaguely," she said. "But, it's a different matter when you try to turn me against the kingdom." Paul tried to take another step back; but, the ground disappeared beneath him. It was gone for a split second and it reappeared in time to catch him again; except now he was buried from the waist down.
"If you have your way, I'll never get food delivered again," she sighed at the disappointing thought. "I'd have to go out and work for it, no thank you. Now, hold still."