Lemon Cheesecake

Chapter 29: Dragon Shock 

Mirabel was a dragon. Vlad was aghast. He had been spying on Svend for months to try to find something nefarious in his life but Svend was just your typical dragon blending in with humans by marrying one and working as a blacksmith. At least that’s what Vlad thought until he followed Svend home one day and found another dragon in his clearing. A dragon unlike any dragon Vlad had ever seen, with her sapphire and amethyst combination. Where did she come from? He met her human “family” and he could not detect any deception on that end. She was definitely born a human. How oh how was she now standing in front of him as a full blown dragon? 

There was really only one explanation. Obviously Svend turned her into a dragon, but how? Honestly, it didn’t really matter to Vlad. The fact of the matter was that he had found his crime, and this was the greatest infraction he could have ever hoped for. This would be sufficient to start a war and rid the dragons of these pesky humans once and for all! Mirabel becoming a dragon was honestly better than Vlad could have even imagined. Even the conservative dragons will be outraged by this unprecedented transformation. What’s next? Dragon babies born to humans? Will the taint never cease? Sheesh, he was having a hard time staying in his human form, he was so outraged thinking about it. Instead of trying to stick around any longer, he succumbed to the urge and switched back to his dragon form and flew back to the dragon caves to report his findings. This rash reaction was probably what saved Mirabel and Svend. Mirabel saw Vlad fly away from suspiciously close to their home and immediately suspected he was onto them. 

What next? They knew this day of discovery would come but they hadn’t really put that much preparation into it. Gregory was the only other dragon that knew about her transformation and he responded to it with his usual dispassionate acceptance. His years amongst the humans had really decreased his level of commitment to dragon kind. He no longer saw a distinct “us vs them” as Vlad so clearly did. As soon as Mirabel remembered Gregory, she knew they needed to seek his counsel. Gregory was a royal dragon! He had spent years on the council before his own banishment began. He would know what they should do to prepare for the inevitable summons that would come when Vlad reported Mirabel’s transformation. 

The next evening Mirabel and Svend flew over to Gregory’s village to have a frank discussion about the things they usually left unsaid. 

“Mirabel is a dragon.” Svend started out without shame or hesitation. 

“Yes, I have noticed that, thank you Svend.” Gregory didn’t miss a beat, but he also didn’t blink an eye. He didn’t really seem to care that Mirabel had, almost miraculously, changed from a pure human to a fire breathing, flying dragon, in the space of about a year. 

“I also recall when you came up with whatever hair-brained scheme you cooked up to turn her into a dragon that I specifically told you to leave me out of it. You know, plausible deniability and all of that. I know we have attained an unexpected level of friendship but I am supposed to be keeping a strict eye on you for the council and letting you turn Mirabel was not exactly my wisest decision. I am sure the council will be displeased if they knew that I was aware of your intentions and did nothing to stop you.” 

“I know, I know, but the situation has changed and we’re all in the fire if we don’t come up with a plan, and fast.” Svend had hoped they could escape the notice of the council for another hundred years or so. 

“Vlad saw me in my dragon form. I thought I was being careful with him around, but he didn’t usually come by the house and I needed to stretch my wings so I changed and he must have snuck up and seen me. I saw him fly away, toward the dragon caves.” Mirabel kind of trailed off at the end there, she was ashamed she didn’t notice his presence before it was too late. But she was a very young dragon and not accustomed to keeping herself hidden from a much older and determined dragon. 

“Well, there’s nothing we can do to stop the spread of this knowledge, but we can now make a plan on how to respond. Presumably, Vlad only knows you’re a dragon, he has no concept of how you came to be a dragon. Our job is to get our story straight and present to the council the least offensive version of your transformation. We can even try to spin this as new saving advancement for our race. Everyone knows our dragon blood is limited, our numbers are so small, we’re bordering on inbreeding. This new method to make dragons could be just what we need, and that's how we're going to sell it to the council.” Gregory had decided long ago he was on Svend’s side and he was frankly surprised and excited that Svend was able to transform Mirabel so he wasn’t going to let Vlad make this his ticket to a human war. 

They would prepare and they would present a compelling argument to the council on their own terms. They would not be hunted down and made into examples of human taint. With Gregory, a human loving royal dragon, on their side, they just might come out the victors. But first they needed a plan. And food. You always need good food to formulate a good plan and Mirabel had just the thing. Lemon Cheesecake. It was tart, it was refreshing, it would help clear their minds and keep their bellies happy. This is the lemon cheesecake that she made.