I was a bit startled from all the commotion. I tried following Merlovak, but it was obvious I wasn’t going to catch up to a dragon soaring through the sky. I looked around. Noticing a cliff overseeing the shoreline, I sprinted through the scattered piles of leftover fish bones to get a better look. 

I thought back to what the old dragon said about the sakonians. If he couldn’t figure out the differences between me or them, these so-called sakonians were probably humans or very close to being humans. But barbarians? They’re not like cavemen, are they? I couldn’t help but hope that I could have a chance to meet them.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, I saw the two dragons circling around a group of what looked to be the sakonians. I couldn’t really tell from up here, but just from the generic shape of their bodies, they really did remind me of humans. And not the cavemen kind. 

They didn’t seem like they had any kind of large weaponry. I saw one of them waving a flag. Most likely their country flag or something. I could see about a dozen of them huddled together, but nothing else. Just a waving flag. Maybe they’re actually here to talk? 

But then the dragons did the unthinkable. They started spewing hot flames from their mouths. My mind blanked before I could register what was happening. Dark clouds of smoke rose from where the sakonians were. I heard blood-curdling screams rising with the black smoke. The sandy surface around the sakonians were now scorched molten red. 

“What… no,” I murmured. They’re not even fighting back. I stood by the cliffside, staring at what was once living people. And then everything went silent. 

They just killed them all. Why? They could’ve been good people. My blood began to boil. They could’ve been surrendering. 

“Why?!” I yelled angrily towards the two dragons still suspended in the air. They probably looked so smug, so happy. They probably killed like it meant nothing to them! I sat on the cliff, angrily gritting my teeth. 

After a few seconds, the two dragons started heading back towards their hut. I ran back. I needed an answer now. As Merlovak landed at the entrance of the castle, he noticed me in the distance. 

“Ho,” he bellowed out. “I apologize for leaving so sudden—”

“Why did you kill them!”

Surprised by my outburst, Merlovak stood silent for a moment. “The… sakonians?”

“Who else?” I yelled. “Is it because they’re barbaric? Or did you just kill them for fun? Are they just some annoying, little, unintelligent insects to you?!”

“Wait. Young one, please.” He took a deep breath. “They were a threat. I assure you that I do not take pleasure in killing the weak.”

“Threat? How! All they had was a flag!” I exclaimed. “Will they poke you to death? A mighty dragon like you dying to a tiny stick?”

Merlovak took a deep breath. “Young Mel, I believe I can understand where your anger may have come from. They must surely remind you of your own people. But they are dangerous, the sakonians. You do not know how danger—”

“And you do? You killed them! Without a second thought!”

Merlovak seemed to huff in impatience. He quickly nodded to Yntri and the younger dragon took off. The old dragon looked back at me. His eyes seemed to glow with determination. “Mel, you must understand. As a king, I have been fighting this war for decades longer than you have been alive. They have killed my friends. They have devoured my family. I must do whatever it takes to protect the last of my kin.”

“Kin?” I scoffed. But then I was reminded of my own family. Mom. I had a mom. I couldn’t exactly remember much, but I had a feeling she was somebody important. I repeated the word. “Kin…” His family. The fire inside me started to sputter out. 

This probably wasn’t his first time fighting the sakonians. He even had a house made for them… He must’ve had hundreds of fights like this before. And to get to that point where you have no hesitation when killing the enemy… How long has Merlovak been protecting his family? For a second I thought, Maybe it was too soon to judge.

I felt defeated. And for the first time, I wondered why I was so worked up about all this. The sight of humans burning to death wasn’t pleasant, no. But they weren’t friends. They were strangers. Why did I care? 

I looked up to Merlovak’s eyes. His pale skin shimmered under the sunlight. He looked tired, pale… much older than before. 

“I’m sorry young one.” Merlovak sighed. “I only did what must be done.”

At that moment, I was lost. This old dragon wasn’t human, but he was the one that gave me a home. He was the one who was so excited to see me. I never realized how much of a welcoming presence he was until now. And however weird this place was, I didn’t want to leave yet. 

For the short period of time I’ve been with him, I thought I could relate to his loneliness. I thought maybe, just maybe, this large dragon could be my friend. 

But in the end, I couldn’t trust him anymore. Maybe if he never killed those sakonians, I would’ve stayed. Maybe if I never saw what happened… But I didn’t feel the safety I had felt yesterday. This event reminded me yet again that Merlovak wasn’t human. He was a dragon. A fire-breathing, dangerous dragon. 

So I decided to leave. My payment for his hospitality was to let him be. I’ll forget about this incident. That was the least I could do. I couldn’t stay any longer. I didn’t want to think ill of Merlovak any more than I had to.