This is the story that the pixies brought me for this year. It is rather short, but they said it was long enough to tell what had to be told. I didn't argue with them. I have learned the hard way that you can never win an argument with a pixie.
The story tells of a young woman who leaves her father's Dark Night celebration to wander on a distant hilltop. She meets a dragon there who convinces her to let him kiss her. That kiss changes her... and Irish history... forever. As with all of my Celtic stories, some of it is based on history, some on myth, and some just springs from the depth of my twisted mind. I leave it to you to figure out which is which.
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WARNING
! This warning is possibly not needed for this particular story, but I am including it because it is needed for most of my stories.
If you decide to read other of my stories make sure that you read the disclosures and warnings at the beginning of each story.
All of my writing is intended for adults over the age of 18
ONLY
. Stories may contain strong or even extreme sexual content. All people and events depicted are fictional and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Actions, situations, and responses are fictional
ONLY
and should not be attempted in real life.
All characters involved in sexual activity in this story are over the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18 or do not understand the difference between fantasy and reality or if you reside in any state, province, nation, or tribal territory that prohibits the reading of acts depicted in these stories, please stop reading immediately and move to somewhere that exists in the twenty-first century.
Archiving and reposting of this story is permitted, but only if acknowledgment of copyright and statement of limitation of use is included with the article. This story is copyright (c) 2022 by The Technician.
Individual readers may archive and/or print single copies of this story for personal, non-commercial use. Production of multiple copies of this story on paper, disk, or other fixed format is expressly forbidden.
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It happened on Dark Night, as all such extremely magical things must. It was a long time ago... long before the invaders came from England... long before the invaders came from the north... even before the invaders with their iron weapons and shields that locked together to form the shell of a turtle came from the south and conquered Britain before invading the green isle.
It was the invaders with their turtle shells who took the practices of Dark Night back to their homeland. But the calendars of Rome and the calendars of the green isle were not the same. And the Romans didn't recognize the purpose or power of Dark Night. So they lit their fires and celebrated with dance and revelry on the last day of their harvest month. But those who remember still light their fires on the first dark of the moon following the day when the sun stops its march across the heavens and begins to return to shine with warmth upon the green isle.
On that true Dark Night so long ago, a young maiden left the fires of her father, Eochaid Feidlech, the High King of the green isle, and walked out into the darkness. None of her sisters would have dared such a thing, but she was not like her sisters. Despite being called a lamb by her father, she was brave-- almost fearless-- and the darkness, even the darkness of Dark Night when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, held no fear for her.
No one knows how far she wandered or exactly what hilltop she was on when a voice called to her from the darkness. "Come this way, little lamb," the voice hissed softly.
"I am not a lamb," she replied. Then, not knowing why, she added, "I am the drink of kings."
The voice laughed slightly and the hilltop was wreathed in fire and smoke.
"You are a dragon," she said firmly. "Come forth so I may see you."
The dragon crept forward slowly until it was at her feet. It wasn't much bigger than one of her father's hunting dogs.
"You are rather small for a dragon," she said with a light laugh.
"I am not yet what I could be," he hissed back. "And neither are you," he added as he let a small stream of fire come out of his nostrils.
The light revealed that she was wearing a short robe which ended about midway down her thighs.
"Let me see you," the dragon hissed and she stood with her arms outstretched and slowly turned around.
"No," the dragon said with a burst of flame, "let me see YOU!"
She laughed. It was a deep laugh that seemed unusually powerful for a woman. Then, without shame or hesitation, she reached down to the hem of her robe and pulled it up over her head. She untied her sandals and kicked them to the side and then stood naked before the dragon.
As she turned around, the dragon said slowly, "You are indeed beautiful... and brave... and powerful. But if you let me kiss you, I will make you even more beautiful and more powerful."
He blew a long stream of fire to one side and then said with a growl, "You will become a queen." After another burst of flame he added, "And I will become a prince."
"I am not afraid of you," she said firmly, "but I already will become a queen when my father marries me off. You offer me nothing."
"Beauty," the dragon said in a long smoky hiss. "Your beauty will be unmatched in all of the green isle. And you and your beauty will be remembered in all of history."
She shrugged and laughed slightly.
"Power," the dragon said with another hiss. "Your beauty will give you power like no woman has ever had or will ever have again."
She continued to look at the dragon with no expression on her face.
"Protection," the dragon finally hissed. This time small tendrils of flame rose from his nostrils.