The Child and the Drake

Note: Image associated is from Ironage.media, specifically their prompt, 'The Fable'

Gabriel sat beside Jaromir as the day came to a close, as was their shared custom in the months after they met. A stranger pair did not exist in all the world, children of ancient foes as they were, yet Gabriel still read to his scaled friend. Young as they were, their parents had not taught them the sordid history between Drakes and Man, and so while each was afeared of the other at first, they were equally intrigued by this strange creature.

Weeks passed as they would play and chase each other through the ancient ruins deep in the wood, playing upon the site of an ancient betrayal. Jaromir was by far the faster climber, capable of immediately outpacing Gabriel, who compensated his clumsy nature with cleverness, frequently tricking and fooling Jaromir.

Today, however, was too hot for chasing each other, and so Gabriel had brought the one book his family owned, thinking its stories, however unintelligible, may be as entertaining for his friend as they were to him.

What dear Gabriel did not know, was that that one book was the official record of the land and told of the history between Man and Drake. He also hadn't realized that even though Jaromir could not speak Man's tongue, he understood it perfectly.

Authour’s note: I apologize for my absence the last while, and for the shorter nature of this story in particular. I aim to be back to my previous standard over the next week or two, thank you for your patience.