A dragon in need of a human attendant finds providence in the arrival of a magician in need of a library, but more than phalanges and history binds Azhra and Darius in companionship.

Setting: [locked link]. Several hundred years after the short stories [locked link] and [locked link]; several months before [locked link], during Darius's first year away from the College. Reading these stories isn't required for comprehension, but this story is written with the expectation that readers will find enjoyment in Azhra being Azhra and Darius being Darius.

Content Advisory: Casual references to fantasy violence involving fire, carnivores and dragons, ageism, autistic-targeted ableism and the medicalisation of the autism spectrum.

Links: [locked link] | [locked link]

Length: 4, 047 words / 12 PDF pages.

[locked image]

Decades passed since Azhra last bothered with the niceties of a campfire. Fetching tree trunks from down the mountain, breaking them up with a swift blow of hir tail and breathing on the pile until they catch reminds hir of evenings spent with attendants, scholars and princesses, sitting and talking under the stars. As dragons go, Azhra has long been accused of chattiness and gossip, but humans enjoy those quiet evenings spent telling stories.