The sun rose above the lair of the silver dragon Cilicia. Stretching her muscles, the mighty creature was as large as a small herd of elephants, despite being fresh into adulthood. She was the protector of this region, a place known as the valley of men. Not surprisingly, humans lived here in a series of mountain villages with a central town by the nearby seashore. Cilicia presided over shepherds, merchants, and farmers alike, keeping the region safe from orcs, trolls, and evil creatures who lived just beyond the mountains which surrounded the valley.
Getting up off of her bed of dry grass, Cilicia moved over to the mouth of her cave, taking in all that nice sunlight. It was truly a beautiful day. The sun was out, the air was crisp, and the sunbeams mingled with the cool air of her mountain home in such a way that she could feel their heat, yet still breathe in all that fresh mountain air that her species loved so very much. Truly, nothing would ruin her day, and this was a very special day, for once a month, Cilicia flew down into the valley to meet the humans, who all turned out for such an occasion.
Extending her massive wings, she took off, clearing her cave in just one swoop! Normally, she’d fly right to the village, but today, it was too nice to just head down there so soon. No, this was a morning that was meant to be enjoyed! Flying through the clear blue sky, there was hardly a cloud in sight. As she flew the ploughman stopped his work to gaze, and the shepherd leaned on his staff and watched her, astonished at the sight. They had seen her many times, and every time she continued to amaze them. It was as if she was dancing in the air.
Alas, all too soon, the time for fun came to and end, and as it turned to noon, Cilicia finally ceased her aerobatics and flew down to the town by the brilliant blue seashore, landing gracefully. The local baron and the other town officials ran out to meet her, as they did each month.
“Lady Cilicia, that was a fine show you put on. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Every time you do it, we here in Farport are all amazed, and each time you take to the sky is better than the-”
“Spare me the flattery, baron Dupont.” Cilicia’s voice was soft and gentle, yet revealed an inner strength, and at the moment, annoyance. Dupont was a good ruler, and a flatterer too. She knew that his praise for her was born as much out of a desire to get on her good side as it was from actual amazement. “Are there any cases to try?” she asked, getting down to business. “Yes, milady, we have three criminals this month. A pair of vandals and a thief.” Part of Cilicia’s tasks as protector of the valley was that she would judge criminals. The baron didn’t like having that position taken from him, but it was a condition of her protection. The townspeople lived with it.
Moving over to the stocks, a trio of alleged criminals were bound by the neck and hands to the clever wooden contraptions. All three of them were nervous at Cilicia’s approach. Beautiful and graceful though she was, the dragon had quite a way of laying down the law. “Which one is the thief?” Cilicia asked the baron, who turned pale at the query.
“T-t-he one farthest to the right.” he replied, knowing what would come next. He hated this part, almost as much as he hated-
ROOAAARR-CHOMP! AHHHGGHHH!!
The baron averted his eyes, as did the other townspeople gathered there. Cilicia had bitten the thief in half, and proceeded to noisy and sloppily eat him, only bothering to spit of the wooden stocks when she was done. “Let the other two go. They aren’t a threat to my hoard.”
ëB-but, Cilicia-”
“Lady Cilicia to you, baron!”
“Lady C-Cilicia, was that really necessary?”
“How many times have we been over this, DuPont?” Celicia said as she let out some of her freezing breath into the sky, sending a puff of cool mist up into the air. “Threats, even potential threats to my treasure hoard are not tolerated. Under any circumstances. And speaking of which…”
He had hoped every time that she would forget this part. Cilicia never did. Not once. The “surcharge” for her protection was nothing less than 20% of everything the town earned in each month, and as much food as she wanted from the surrounding shepherd and farmers, no questions asked. As usual, the tribute had been collected in the town square, under guard. The thief Cilicia just devoured had attempted to steal some of it, hoping to recover what he had given into it.
Looking over the treasure piled up, it wasn’t enough to even half fill a chest. “Dupont? Are you holding out on me? Remember the last time I caught you holding out on me?”
Dupont remembered all too well. “No! I swear. You know as well as I do that ships haven’t been coming here as often to resupply!” He was right. Farport derived much of its revenue by supply food, supplies, repairs, wood, and on occasion, sailors to passing ships. The valley of men was not right next to major trade routes, but it was close enough that a ship in need of repair or supply could easily make it there. Recently, a major war coupled with increased pirate activity seriously reduced the number of ships coming to Farport, and thus, there was less income for the town.
“I don’t like it when I get less in a month than I did in the previous one. You know that. If you cannot make up the money, I’ll have to take it from somewhere else.” Now her tone was ominous. The last time there had been this kind of a problem, she went door to door searching for supplies, not caring if she happened to smash the door or the house in the process. “I’ll let it slide this month, but if next month isn’t enough to make up for it-”
“It WILL be made up! I guarantee-”
“-with 20% interest.”
“… you’ll get your money.”
“See to it that I do.” Cilicia spoke, sweeping back into the sky with her mighty wings. Yes, it was a beautiful day alright. A day to remember… a day to remember how a female silver dragons showed up and demanded money from a town in order to keep her from taking it outright. They hadn’t asked for Cilicia or her “protection.” Dupont was capable of leading the forces of the valley against the orcs and others beyond the mountains, the humans didn’t need her. Dupont would have happily launched a revolution against her if his forces stood so much as half a chance of victory, but alas, this was certainly not the case.
On the way back to her cave, Cilicia had come across a flock of lost sheep. Their shepherd must have been quite worried about them. The silver dragon knew just what to do…
BURP!
She took a nap after eating them, lying on her back. Those were some good sheep, and they sure weren’t lost anymore. Stretching her legs, feet, and toes out and sighing, Cilicia’s eyes drooped shut. Nothing would ruin her-
Tweet! Tweet!
-a bird was singing. Off-tune. Fwoosh! A blast of her icy breathe put a stop to that. Now nature was in harmony again in her perfect, beautiful valley. If only the “perfection” would end, the people living there would be happy.
