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Although there was no furniture inside, tapestries hung from the walls. They didn’t appear of human design, but rather like someone the size of a Dragon would have created.

They seemed to tell stories of Dragons.

Dragons fighting each other. Dragons fighting humans wielding swords.

She stared at the tapestries depicting Dragons fighting Witches for longer. Some showed Dragons killing them, some were the other way around, but each time it ended with the Witch encased in flame. Amalia shuddered.

But there was one that depicted the story of a Dragon and a human together. After the woman gave birth, she was no longer a part of the story, but it continued like it wasn’t over.

It showed the Dragon father and what she figured was his daughter, learning and living together as a family. It showed the child’s progression of learning magic, and her father teaching her to wield it.

A different tapestry showed more humans and Dragons together, giving birth to what she guessed were Witches and living in unison with them. There were hundreds of them, showing that it became a regular occurrence. Humans and Dragons mating to give birth to offspring that couldn’t change form but could wield magic.

Then the images turned dark.

One child started to eat fairies and pixies, realising it could grow stronger by eating their parts. The child then turned on their shape-shifting parent by eating the heart of its kin.

From that point, the tapestries showed the Witch child teaching others to do it. Eventually, they all turned on the Dragons and horrific images of the deaths of the scaly beasts as Witches began to grow in numbers.

The tapestry ended there.

Is that truly the origin of my kind?

Each section of wall in this massive, towering room was covered with stories – a history of his kind and their different tales. Some were pleasant, most were not.

After examining each one, she stood in the middle of the large alcove. She could see the direction she came from, but there was another exit. She walked down it.

Eventually she came to a fork in her path. One way was dark with no torches lit, while the other was dim. She walked down the one that had some light.

Amalia came to a barely lit cavern and heard the rushing of water before she saw it. There was a stream here. It was slow moving due to a small waterfall that would keep the water fresh.

Exploring this area with much more enthusiasm than she had anywhere else in this cave, she walked over to the waterfall. She lifted her hands to the water and let it pour over her palms and fingertips, feeling the cold-water rush over her skin.

There was a small space between the waterfall and the rock face where the wall dipped in. Curious, she squeezed herself between that space while trying to avoid getting wet. She noticed a small pocket, a tiny spot where only someone of her size would be able to sit down and rest without becoming wet.

Amalia spent some time there. The movement of nature, whether it be streams of water or the living of earth like plants and trees, always made her feel invigorated.

If she wanted to, she could harness the power of the rushing water here, but she decided not to. It wouldn’t do much other than give her energy, and although she was emotionally worn, she felt physically rested.

She couldn’t help finding this stream and cavern peaceful. She already knew this would be her favourite place inside of his lair.

His home is not too bad.Now that she knew of this place, she felt a small amount of peace.

Amalia had been thinking of her imprisonment. She wanted to leave, wanted to be free.

I am also afraid.

She did admit to herself that she was afraid of his flames. The fact he could wield them with such ease wasn’t a comforting thought after what she had been through, but she was more afraid of leaving. If she was truly protected and safe here, it was a much better option than the outside world. Even though she didn’t know where she was, people from the town near her cottage may travel, and if she did manage to escape his cave, she could be recognised and captured.

Does that mean I may not want to leave if I find a way to?All Amalia wanted right now was to feel safe, and she didn’t know if she felt that way.Outside is fire, inside is fire.

Even though the air was cool, she started to sweat.

How do I live in peace while also still being myself?She didn’t know the answer to that question.Maybe if the Dragon lets me be myself, allows me the freedom to come and go as I please?She doubted that would be a possibility.

She wasn’t against this place being her home, she just didn’t want to be trapped inside of it, powerless.

When she decided she’d spent too much time with her thoughts, she emerged from her hiding place. There was no other way out of this cavern, so she walked back up the tunnel.