Simon

One week later...

"Hello again!" I called out to the pink dragon sprawled on the hillside and lifted my arm in an awkward wave. It was a bit harder to move my arm, what with all the shirts I was wearing as padding – Enola's preferred method of saying goodbye seemed to be by smacking me in the chest, and while if a dragon hits you once it was something you could blame on the dragon, any sore chests I walked away with today would definitely be my fault – but I managed the greeting.

An annoyed groan came from the dragon, loud enough to be heard even from where I stood at the bottom of the hill. "Just when I was starting to think I was finally rid of you..." She slowly lifted her head and glared at me. "Do you humans ever learn? Must I drop you in the lake, too?"

I plastered a cheerful grin on my face and began walking up the hill. "I appreciate the thought, kind dragon, but I have already bathed once today. And the gift I have brought you would not fare well in the water. I would hate for it to be ruined before you could enjoy it, after Smokey has gone through the trouble of carrying it all this way."

The horse beside me did not seem as interested in approaching the dragon as I was – likely remembering the last time it had encountered her – and he snorted and pulled at the lead in my hand at the sound of his name in an attempt to pull away from the scary dragon. I paused long enough to brush my hand over his side and spoke in a low, soft tone. "Easy, Smokey. It's okay. Enola won't eat you; she was just grumpy the last time."

It had been over a week since the last time I had spoken with Enola, and in that time I had been busy. I had found the herald's lost horse – it had panicked like the noble had suspected, but it had been easy enough to follow the tracks from Enola's lair – and after a bit of calm words, sugar cubes, and apples, I had brought the horse back to Lakeshire with me. The herald had already fled by then, and since I was certain he would report that his horse had died in the encounter, I saw no problems with taking care of the abandoned horse for the time being.

Smokey seemed to enjoy the new arrangements and had been more than happy to tag along with me to the nearby town of Yellowseed to drop off my letters. It was a happy stroke of fortune that the horse preferred to walk beneath me, making the journey a much easier one, and that he walked at an energetic pace that shaved days off my trip. And after a bit of trading and bartering in Yellowseed – mostly for more spices, padded shirts, and the surprisingly expensive supplies a horse required – the horse had been just as happy to carry my purchases on the trip back to Lakeshire.

Well. He had been happy up to the point he had actually seen Enola, at least.

Enola's eyes narrowed at the mention of my gift, and I saw her claws start to dig into the ground beneath her. "Are you trying to bribe me into leaving my home, too? I have no desire for your shiny trinkets, and even less desire to leave."

"Perish the thought! I am grateful for your company, and would be terribly saddened if you decided to leave." I stopped talking as the hill grew steeper. The extra shirts might offer some protection against Enola's tail and wings, but they were uncomfortably warm for any physical activity.

The dragon mumbled as she watched me climb up the hill. "With my luck, you would end up finding me even if I did leave." I wasn't sure if she meant for me to hear that, or if that was just what passed for a whisper for dragons... so I chose to ignore it.

I came to a stop a short distance away from the dragon and leaned against Smokey. The horse dug nervously at the ground with one hoof, still very unhappy at being close to Enola, but he didn't try to pull away. I unbuckled the saddlebag at his side and carefully extracted the small barrel I had bought in town, then held it out towards Enola. "No, as I mentioned earlier, I am hoping to help you stay."

"I do not want your help, human. Take it and go." Enola glared at me for another second, then lowered her head back down to rest on her hand. "Or you will have a second bath today."

"If you don't want to talk about how I can help you, that's fine – I won't bring it up again today. But Smokey carried this all the way from Yellowseed just for you." I reached down to tap the barrel, then grinned at the eye I saw peeking back at me. "Don't you at least want to know what it is?"

"No." The eye closed again, leaving me staring back at pink scales. She shifted on the hill, turning further away from me. "I already told you. Your human trinkets do not interest me. I have no desire for a cup too small even to hold, no matter how shiny it may be."

"And that is why I didn't bring you trinkets! I brought you something you could actually use, which I know you have an interest in." I grinned, waiting for Enola to look back at me.

It was quiet for a few seconds, before she let out a heavy sigh and finally turned her head back to look at me again. "Fine, human. What have you brought to annoy me with this time?"

"I brought you..." I leaned down and opened the lid of the barrel, revealing the reddish goop inside. "...ketchup!"

The dragon stared at me for a long moment.

"Um... tada?" I tilted the barrel slightly so she could get a better view, then made a flourishing motion with my free hand. "Ketchup! Just like you had asked about. This is a slightly different recipe that travels better, but I was assured it tastes similar enough."

The silence stretched on... until Enola finally shook her head. "Simon, you must be the dumbest human in existence. Or at the very least, I hope there are no humans dumber than you. Do you have any idea what I want ketchup for?"

"I assumed the same thing we humans use it for – to make your food taste better. And it really does help with that. Anything from bland potatoes to overcooked meats. It's almost as good as salt, in some cases."

Enola closed her eyes and brought one hand up to rub her head, keeping her claws bent away from her scales. "Well, I mean yes, it is for that, but..."

"Then I was right, and it's the perfect gift for you! I am more than happy to share it. If you would be so kind as to catch a meal for us, I will cook it and season it with this ketchup – and with a few other seasonings I brought." Just like the first time I tried to introduce myself, though I kept that thought to myself. That attempt hadn't worked out very well... but I was still sure the path to this dragon's heart was through her stomach.

The dragon's eyes stayed closed for another moment, while her hand rubbed at the top of her head. Finally she sighed again and opened her eyes to stare at me. "Simon... why are you annoying me? Just tell me what you want and be done with it." The typical annoyance in the dragon's voice was gone, and she just sounded drained. Defeated.

I rested the barrel of ketchup back down on the ground and closed the lid back on it. "I'm curious about you. You're out here all alone, far away from the other dragon territories and deep inside a human kingdom. Yet you clearly don't like humans, even though you don't attack us. So you seem like somebody very interesting, who I would like to get to know better."

Suspicion was clear in the dragon's eyes as she continued staring at me. "That's it? You aren't here to try and steal my treasures, or to get something enchanted with a dragon's spell?"

"I wouldn't even know what to do with a dragon's spell. And I know you or other dragons would be quick to hunt me down and kill me if I stole anything from you." I shook my head at her question, then shrugged. "If I had anything magical or expensive, it would just make me a target for thieves. And it would be a pain to carry such things between towns on my journeys. I already have everything I need."

"But do you have everything you want?" The dragon lifted her head up more to stare back at me, an accusing look in her eyes as she glared down at me. "You humans are greedy, and never seem to be satisfied with what you have. I have heard stories from several dragons who have been robbed by humans they thought could be trusted – Ferdna, even by his own rider – and I have no interest in becoming yet another cautionary tale about the dangers of humans. What is it you hope to get from me?"

"I am telling you the truth, Enola." I brought one hand up to rest over my heart, and looked back up at her eyes as I spoke. "I want nothing more than to learn about you. Today I am only here to try and share a meal with you." I felt a tiny stab of guilt at the lie of omission... but for the most part, I was telling the truth. My mission here was to learn about Enola, and through her, the other dragons.

Enola continued to stare at me in silence, and the uncomfortable weight of her suspicion was almost as stifling as the multiple layers of shirts... but she finally relaxed. "Very well, Simon. I will share a meal with you. Start a fire and begin your preparations, and I will find something for us to eat." She spread out her wings and gave a half-flap of them as she rose to her feet... then she glared back at me. "But I am still certain you are after something. And I will kill you if you try to harm me."

A shiver of fear was still running down my back as the dragon turned and ran down the hillside, spreading her wings further before jumping into the air... and with that, she was gone. I gulped, then began leading Smokey the rest of the way up the hill. I had a lot of work to do before Enola returned – securing the horse, starting a fire, unpacking all my supplies – and there was no point in lollygagging. Despite her threats, I felt a sense of satisfaction as I got to work. I had managed to chip past some of the dragon's armor, and was finally close to getting some answers.