I ended up sleeping like a log because the bed was so comfortably warm. I didn’t know what kind of material the dragons used for the blanket, but it wrapped perfectly around me with no length to spare. I never felt so safe before. 

Morning came a lot brighter than I had first anticipated. I understood what Merlovak meant when he said “stars arise” because when I looked outside, I realized there were two suns. I couldn’t say I was surprised I missed that. It was probably because I was so focused on the rocks around me. They were so very interesting to look at. 

It didn’t take long for Merlovak to visit. He stood outside the human-sized door and knocked as if I couldn’t already see his enormous eye peering through the little house window.

Well, I can’t just ignore that now, can I? I walked over and opened the door, acting like I didn’t see him. “Hello?”

“Ho, why it’s quite delightful to see this lovely home in use!” Merlovak exclaimed. “I was meaning to use this as a peace offering to the sakonians, but alas, they are still too barbaric for peace.” He turned around and lowered one of his wings to the ground. “Come. We shall speak at my castle.”

“Your castle?”

“Ah, yes!” Merlovak’s eyes seemed to light up at the mention of the castle. “I’ve never been quite the braggart, but Dagaea Castle is quite lovely. It has a myriad of sightseeing wonders. One of which would be the brilliant yellow Dagaean Sea. The sea is quite refreshing as opposed to those sakonians…” 

So the ocean’s also yellow. Huh. Neat. “Um, so are the saka… whatever they’re called, the barbarians you mentioned yesterday?”

“Hah. No, sakas are the creatures of the sea. They are a great source of sustenance in our realm.” His eyes seemed to dull at the thought of what came next. “But the sakonians… they look much like you do. Yet they do not seem to possess the capacity to understand peace!” Merlovak angrily exclaimed. “Ah, let us not speak of such matters. Why, it simply rots the mood of such a lovely morning. I cannot show such a pitiful self to a rare visitor. Please, climb aboard.” He again lowered his wing for me to climb. 

“Uh, yep. Sure, I’ll go do that.”

“And don’t forget to hold on,” he added. 

As I held tightly to one of Merlovak’s pale, white spikes, he lifted off the ground with a single, strong thrust. I could feel the sudden gravitational pressure forcing me down, but this felt much more comfortable than being held by a dragon paw. 

I did find it weird that there weren’t as many dragons here as I first expected. It’s supposed to be like a kingdom for dragons, right? Peering down, I saw some beautiful structures made of what looked to be fish bones. Really big fish bones. A single rib bone was about as large as me. That’s not a fish. That’s clearly a whale. 

From having conversed with Merlovak, I understood that I could somehow communicate in the same language, but certain words seemed to have changed. Remembering all the bones I had seen throughout the place, those sea creatures Merlovak mentioned were most likely fish. I think they were called sakés. No, it was sakas. Saké’s just alcohol. 

And supposedly, there were humans here called sakonians. But they live underwater? How? Do they look like fish with gills? Or are they actually technologically advanced enough to create a civilization like Atlantis? Maybe like a giant water bubble… 

But humans. I never thought I’d be happy to meet people again. I never really liked them before, but at this point, I’d do anything to get some social interaction around here. Talking to dragons just didn’t feel right. Hopefully, these so-called sakonians weren’t as barbaric as Merlovak said they were. Maybe just a big ol’ misunderstanding. 

While I was constantly reasoning with my imaginary self, Merlovak landed in front of what looked to be a huge structure made of whale bones. Probably Dagaea Castle. I mean, it was big. Like one of those medieval orc strongholds from popular RPG games. It was made of large bones, but the top was covered with a bunch of stitched sheets of iridescent, multi-colored fish skin. Really lookin’ like rainbow puke. There was absolutely no theme to it at all!

“Wow. Looks great,” I said unenthusiastically. 

“Isn’t it? Quite lovely craftsmanship,” Merlovak remarked. “Why don’t we settle inside?”

I slid off Merlovak’s back and followed. There weren’t any doors. Just a large gaping hole in front of the rainbow hut. At least it blocks the rain, I thought. “So, where are the other dragons?”

Merlovak lied on the dirt floor of the hut and sighed. “Most have already fled for safer places. The only two remaining here near the sakonians are me and young Yntri.”

Yntri? Cool name. “That seems pretty lonely.” 

“Well, that is the life of a king.” He longingly gazed over my shoulders. When I followed his eyes, he was looking towards the sky. For a moment, I thought I could understand what Merlovak was feeling. As I gazed up towards the puffy clouds in the air, I thought I felt a little homesick. And I wondered if he was feeling something similar. 

I looked back at the old dragon. “And why didn’t you leave this place with the others?”

“Why, I cannot simply abandon my home… and it has been far too long…”

“Okay,” I interrupted, “but what do you even do here except protect your castle? Isn’t a king supposed to protect his people?”

“Ho, why I appreciate your concern.” Merlovak smiled and blew a small fire from his mouth, lighting up a row of scones inside the hut. “But they do not need me.” 

“Um, can I ask why?” 

“Ah, it is quite a boring story.” Merlovak quickly changed the subject. “Perhaps you are craving some sakas for breakfast? Yntri must already be fishing. He should be here any moment now…”

Fishing? How do dragons even fish? "So, this Yntri fellow… I don't think I've heard of him."

“Why he’s the young fellow who brought you here!”

Oh, the belt buckle ride. I distinctly remembered the dreadful experience. “So, why doesn’t he talk by the way?”

Merlovak bellowed out in laughter. "Ho, well he is still a child. A couple decades too young to understand your speech."

“Oh… wait, what do you mean by my speech?” 

“Ah, perhaps you didn’t know… We dragons converse differently.”

“Differently?”

“Yes. What we are speaking now is sakonian.”

“Oh. And how do dragons speak—” 

“Yntri must be getting close. It is already a little late for breakfast.”

I skeptically nodded in understanding. I didn’t know why the old dragon avoided my question, but I tried not to think much of it. He must’ve had some reason. Plus, I couldn’t force it out of him; he was a dragon after all. 

I peeked around the hut to pass the time, but seconds felt like minutes. There was really nothing much to see anyways. It was just an empty hut with a few chunks of dead fish lying around the floor. I took the chance to ask the dragon some more questions. 

“So, how do I meet the sakonians?”

His voice immediately seemed to drop an octave. “Meet them?”

I could feel the atmosphere around me shift. This was definitely a sore topic for the old dragon. “Well, just curious because… you said I looked similar to them. I was wondering what these barbaric, evil… creatures look like.”

He eyed me suspiciously, but quickly returned to his jolly old self. “Well, they look just like you, but…" He paused for a moment. “Perhaps the clothing? I must say, I haven’t seen many sakonians in a while to know the difference.” He laughed heartily before continuing. “Ho, it seems like we haven’t heard much from our guest. Now it wouldn't be selfish of me to ask how you’ve come to be in the Dagaean Desert, yes?”

“Oh, the desert?” I was walking through a desert this whole time? “Well—” Before I could continue the small talk, a screech sounded through the air. 

Merlovak looked up. “Yntri?” He sneered. “The sakonians.” 

Without a moment's hesitation, he swiftly left the hut and flew into the air. It looked like he was headed for the Dagaean shore.