The Emerald Scholar's Book for Lovers - Stories from Bedo Street
Chapter 1: The Telling of the Dragon's Game
My name is Azel Fairbanks, also known in some circles as the Emerald Scholar. I have gained a reputation for writing stories about the interactions between my own human race and the magically inclined flying beasts known as dragons. Sometimes I write about the more...exotic interactions I hear about.
The general populace of my country of birth considers dragons as monsters, creatures of destruction and hatred spawned from the great Lord of Evil himself. Through my particular experiences, I discovered that this view was naively incorrect: dragons tend to be the nicest, happiest, and most loving beings you could ever meet. Based on my own experiences, I would say my own race tended towards wickedness, not the other way around. I almost laugh every time some herder blames a dragon for eating his sheep because I know they are not meat eaters.
In a nation I visited across the sea, people held dragons in high regard. They told stories about them and those humans who entered their culture. Some of my favorite stories came from the husband of a happy couple living on Bedo Street in the northern territories of that land. His wife, my wife, my dragon friend, and his dragon friend all came around to sit in and listen while he dictated the stories to me. The first story he told was how he met his wife, which I have titled "The Telling of the Dragon's Game."
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To think it was only a year ago that I was fighting alongside my fellow Western Knights to repel an invasion from across the sea. We were victorious, but in the wake of the fighting and death I had witnessed I wished for a change of scenery in my life. I went north, packing little and relying on the hospitality of those I met along the way.
In the northern territories, which I was traveling though, made up of small villages and generously spaced farmsteads, most would welcome a kind stranger like me heartily. They seemed to be ever the more welcoming if a pretty, young, and available daughter was present. Unlike some that would abuse the hospitality of these people and the innocence of their girls, I refused to stay at any house that would cause such issues.
I sometimes wondered at night why I limited myself this way. As I slept, many times on just a blanket and pillow on a floor, I would almost curse my chivalry. I might have instead been in a cozy bed with a young, naked, and freshly mated girl lying against me. I could be gently caressing her breasts as she slept and deciding if I should mount her again in the morning or simply be off early in search of another home with another girl's embrace to enjoy.
Unlike where I grew up, the people of these lands did not frown on a promiscuousness to an extent. They saw a man like me as a blessing. They believe it's good for the family tree or something along those lines. Sometimes I think that people like me less because I am refusing any refuge where the temptation of a young woman might be present. Not only that, but with a strong, knightly man like me, what nice young girl would not want me to mate with her? Alas, these thoughts start taking hold of me, and I must break away for fear of going mad. Fortunately, I find these only grow strong when I am alone in bed, when it is hard to occupy my mind with other business. I guess I should be happy that these thoughts have pushed out the memories of the war.
On one particular day, I woke up from one of those blankets on the floor, this time in the home of an older couple that ran a flourmill. I was on a sightseeing trip of the area's beautiful meadowlands rumored to be a popular location for dragons. I was fascinated with them, though I never had the chance to meet one in person.
In addition to a small breakfast, my hosts offered some advice to me.
"So you want to see some dragons? Then I would highly recommend taking the western road and taking a right turn on Bedo Street. The area around the house up there is known to be a popular spot for those critters to play", the husband said.
The wife had a peculiar look on her face. It looked like she was a bit confused and then suddenly realized something. She then spoke as well. "Yes, you should go up there and ask the g... people who live up there about them. They should be able to help you."
Hmm, something was odd in the way she said that. I allowed that thought to pass however, and thanked the two for their advice; I decided to take them up on it as well. I said my goodbyes, made my way out the door, then headed west until I turned on Bedo Street. About a mile down, I knocked upon the door to the lone farmhouse.
A cute little girl, somewhere in her early teens, answered the door. Her eyes grew very wide and she began to greet me excitedly... "Hello mister! How are you? Whatcha come to my house for? Huh? Huh? Wow, you're from west, aren't you? You've come a long ways to come all the way up here to..."
I couldn't get a word in over her wild chatter, but she stopped when another figure entered the view from the door. The girl's mother came over and interrupted her, "That's enough now dear, I think you're going to scare him away with all that chatter."
She cautiously looked me over. She must have noticed my clothes were that of the western knights because she quickly warmed up to me. "Please come in sir, you are most welcome here. Is there something you wanted?"
"Well, actually, you might find this funny, but I came here looking to meet a dragon. The couple at the flourmill told me I would have good luck if I came around here."
The mother smiled and responded, "Well, they are very correct because we often have dragons that spend their summers here. So you will most probably get to meet some if you are patient."
"Well, that's fantastic! I don't know though, do you think it's odd that I would have such a strange quest?"
"No, not at all! I think it's cute!"
"Me too!"
"Oh, beastie, why don't you go find one of your friends and bring them here. I'm sure they would love to show off to our guest!"
"Okay, I'll go get one of them right now!"
With that, the girl ran by me and around the side of the building, towards the trees behind it. The mother laughed warmly. It was when she was laughing that I realized how beautiful this woman was. Her shining eyes, her bright smiling face, not to mention what looked to be a well-built farm girl body under her pretty blue dress... ah, but I had to stop myself in shame. To have such thoughts about a mother like that, how horrible. After all of those willing virgin girls, I would desire her! Oh, but what if she had a husband?
I was apparently letting expression reflect my thoughts, for she noticed that I was wincing. "Are you alright? Please come in."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm fine. Thank you."
I made my way into the house. She looked like she was about to say something, but realized that she was still holding a large knife behind her back. She nonchalantly set it down on a nearby table and sat down on the nearest chair. She looked at me with her head slightly cocked to one side and a gentle smile set on her lips. It seemed like she could no longer think of anything to say, and I could tell she was a bit nervous. The question about her husband came to mind and I decided I should address the issue outright. "Are you sure your husband will be okay with me being here? I would think some men would find this a bit inappropriate..."
She looked quite surprised and brought her hand up against her chest, in a 'who, me?' expression. "Oh, sir, I'm not married."
She was probably like the young girls I avoided, who would give themselves to travelers and bear children without the father. In my part of the country that was not looked upon well, so I always assumed a mother was also a wife.
"I'm sorry, I'm from the western territories and I just assumed that you had a husband when I saw your daughter and all."
