A Blazing Display Brings Love

Erol landed smoothly on the mountain peak which gave this town its name and lowered his wing to ease Greely in dismounting.  When he spoke his voice was still Erol’s just with a bit more gravel and emerged from the mouth of a dragon reminding her of how small she was in this great big world.

“Did you enjoy the display from above, my love?” 

“I loved it.  It was like flying among the stars.  So much color and light - fire and ice.  Yet all the while I felt nothing but safety and warmth snuggled up in the blanket upon your back.”

“You will always be safe with me, Greely.”

Deep in her heart of hearts she knew this was true.  Sure he could be grouchy, insistent and chauvinistic, but he never slacked on her safety.  Even tonight he’d made sure to have a leather harness rigged up on his back which he required her to wear before taking off.  “I’ll not lose you,” he’d stated, turning her legs into mush and setting her heart a flutter with happiness. 

Greely looked to the large wicker basket currently resting beneath the massive dragon.  It was square rather than circular as she would have expected and large enough to carry several people.  The corners were tied off with thick ropes which led to both arms and legs.  “What’s with the basket?”

“Look inside and tell me what you see.”

“Will I be sucked into some vortex or struck speechless by the chains you wish to use to bind me?”  The teasing and smirk upon her face felt good and right—like a long lost friend coming home.

“Heh, heh, heh…I will one day bind you, fair one, but not today.  Look inside the basket.”

Bind her he did though in the beginnings of love.  Inside, waiting to be removed was the makings for a picnic extraordinaire with pillows and blankets, flowers and wine.  She was being woo’d and it was perfect.  “Oh Erol, so you made yourself look like a-a balloon, just to give me this lovely meal?”

“Well, um…”

His stammer was perfect and shoved her ever closer to the edge of loving him, needing him above all others.  She wondered if he was in his human skin would he even be blushing.  “Yes?”

“The ability to provide this was a wonderful benefit of the agreement I made with Dante.  It seems that a dragon flying over the festivities would be too much for the fragile human mind to bear unless they were convinced it was all a fun prop.  A large balloon they would apparently understand more so than my glorious dragon skin.”

“You did that for me?”  Joyful tears pricked at her as she looked into his jewel-like eyes.

“Of course.  You are mine, fair Greely.” 

“Do you fly all the ladies above fireworks displays, Erol?”  She dreaded his answer, but needed to hear it all the same.  Before they continued and moved their connection to a physical one she needed to know where to keep her head.  Despite the perfection of the mountain top picnic and the blazing flight, if she were just one of the many women he’d taken to the stars theirs would be a short relationship based solely on sex and she would learn to be okay with that.

“No, never!  You have been and forever shall be the only one upon my back.”

“Oh Erol,” she whispered, the crack in her voice coincided perfectly with the fall of her first tear.  Love truly did come upon swift wings.
~~~

May love find you swiftly this July 4th weekend and my you see blazing stars a-plenty!


Serena