Painting!

My Evil Dragon Father

As a dragoj stood before the old tombstone, a young dragon's solemn whispers cut through the air. "My Evil Dragon Dad," the young dragon murmured, tears glinting in his eyes. Lance felt a curious mix of emotions, sadness mingled with an unexplained anticipation.

This moment stirred something within Lance, a newfound passion for painting. He knew he had to capture this poignant scene on canvas, to someday show the young dragon and evoke the memory of this day.

One glaring omission in his artwork troubled him: the absence of a black dragon, like himself. "No matter," he thought with a half-smile. "When the young dragon learns to paint, perhaps he'll add me to the canvas."

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Lance refocused, his brush dancing fervently across the canvas.

Nearby, on the back of a giant turtle, the young dragon caught sight of an imposing figure squatting on the shoreline, an evil dragon, surrounded by an array of paints and brushes. The young dragon's vertical pupils, shimmering purple-gold, widened in alarm.

"Oh no, the dragon's painting again!"

A chill ran down his spine. Legend had it that those painted by the evil dragon met untimely ends. "Am I next?" he wondered, heart pounding. But then he remembered the evil dragon's promise from the night before, not to paint him, at least for now.

"Perhaps he's painting Turtle and Marly instead," the young dragon sighed in relief, turning his attention back to the turtle.

Cleaning the turtle's vast shell was no easy task. The top was manageable, but the slippery edges were perilous, threatening to send him tumbling into the sea. To clean those tricky parts, he would need to fly cautiously around them.

Marly, meanwhile, was proving utterly useless. Turtle had just given Marly a stern warning, if he dared to lick the turtle's shell again, he'd be flipped into the ocean. Guigui's threats were not to be taken lightly, especially when he was irate.

As dusk draped over the sky, the turtle carried its passengers back to the island, including the young dragon and the hapless Ergouzi.

The dragon who had been painting by the shore had left before nightfall. Lucia, another dragon, speculated that the evil dragon might have brewed some medicine for her.

After a strenuous afternoon, Lucia returned to the island, eagerly downing a bowl of dark green liquid handed to her by the evil dragon himself. The concoction seemed to wash away all her fatigue, a curious, magical relief. As her feet hit the soft sand, she spotted the figure of the evil dragon approaching, a vial of the mysterious medicine in hand.

Drink Deeply, Until the Young Dragon Reeks

"Lance, while I was scrubbing the turtle's shell today, I could swear I saw you hunched over your sketchpad. What were you drawing?" asked the young dragon curiously.

Lance chuckled, his voice echoing slightly against the sea breeze. "I sketched a whimsical scene, a baby dragon tumbling into the water, and another, quite comically, smashing into the sea."

"And what if her feet slipped? She didn't mean to drop Marly into the ocean," the young dragon replied, a hint of concern lacing his words.

Grasping the stone bowl filled with dark green liquid handed to him by the evil dragon, the young dragon held his breath and downed the contents in one swift gulp.

After returning the empty bowl, he asked, "Could you show us the painting you crafted this afternoon?"

Magically, the magic version of the painting materialized from the evil dragon's horns and floated gently down from the air.

Lucia, quick on her wings, snatched it up with her claws. The evil dragon's artistic prowess was renowned; his distinctive style and skill were evident in the portraits adorning the walls of their lair.

"Oh, it's adorable!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with delight. "I fell in love with it at first glance!"

The notion that such a fearsome creature could produce such endearing artwork baffled the princess. "How can a terrifying dragon create something so charming? And, look at this," she pointed out, scrutinizing the canvas, "was I really that panicked when I fell? Is my mouth always that wide?"

On the canvas, a plump baby dragon clumsily splashed into the sea after colliding with a dog, its claws and wings flapping wildly in the water.

Not far off, the soggy dog that had been hurled into the sea surfaced, barking furiously at the chubby dragon. Its expression was one of utter indignation.

Beneath this amusing tableau, a comic-style caption reminiscent of those found in short comics from the Imperial Publishing House read:

"[You clumsy, pig-raising baby dragon, you've given my dog a massive bump on his head!]"

Behind the baby dragon and turtle, an unassuming turtle twisted its head, giving them a look of comical bewilderment. The turtle's eyes seemed to question their sanity, as if pondering whether the pair was engaged in some foolish antics.

"Did Turtle really look at us that way?" Lucia wondered aloud, her voice tinged with amusement.

"It must be the evil dragon's artistic license," she concluded with a chuckle. "Turtle has such a sweet nature, after all."

"The painting style is utterly charming," Lucia continued, her enthusiasm evident. "You know, you could go to the human world and make a splash as a cartoonist. Your art would surely be a hit, especially with children and young girls, they'd adore it!"

"A cartoonist?" Dragon Lance's eyes sparkled with intrigue at the suggestion. "Do you think a comic titled 'The Princess, the Knight, and the Dragon' would catch on? A love story penned in my style?"

Lucia paused, her expression thoughtful. "Why focus on love, though? Have you ever experienced it? Can you truly capture a love story?"

Lance shrugged off her skepticism. "The title alone suggests it's not meant to be taken too seriously. It's just an idea, after all."

"Maybe stick to painting instead of diving into comics just yet," Lucia advised pragmatically. "Your art could fetch a handsome sum, perhaps a few silver coins, or even more. Aristocrats might treasure it, but it's a bit steep for the common folk."

"Indeed, a few silver coins could sustain a typical family for several days," she added, musing on the economic disparity.

"And if you're thinking about selling paintings for gold coins," Lucia said with a hint of jest, "you'd better hope those noble ladies find the artist as charming as his work."

"How many silver coins, you say? Hardly enough to cover the cost of the canvas," Lance mused, a bit disheartened.

"The canvas is that costly?" Lucia asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yes, my canvases are specially made and quite pricey," Lance admitted, his tone a mix of pride and resignation.

"Lance, may I keep this painting?" Lucia asked, her eyes twinkling with a blend of earnestness and admiration. "I'd love to have it."

"Of course," Lance replied with a hint of mischief in his tone. "I had actually planned to bequeath it to you as a legacy."

"???" Lucia blinked in confusion. "A legacy?"

Was it even possible for her to keep this painting now? She pondered the thought, a smile creeping onto her face. Indeed, it seemed it was!

When it came to legacies, Lucia mused, if there ever came a day when she needed to leave something meaningful behind, it should be she, the princess, leaving it for the evil dragon, not the other way around. She was resolute in her decision not to let Lance leave her a legacy.

"The idea that the evil dragon can end me, yet I can't do the same... it's unnerving," she said, more to herself than to Lance.

Changing the subject, she queried, "Lance, do you fish?"

"Yes, I even have a fishing rod," Lance responded, his eyes gleaming with a blend of pride and readiness.

"What kind of bait do you use to catch big fish?" Lucia inquired, genuinely curious.

"Marly, if you're after the big ones," Lance joked with a sly grin.

Marly, overhearing the conversation, bared his teeth in mock indignation at Lance. Was this young dragon seriously considering using him as bait? Despite the jest, Marly couldn't help but feel a twinge of alarm.

When it came to fishing, Lance was somewhat notorious. At noon, he might mention fishing with a rod, but more often than not, Marly ended up being mentioned as potential bait!

"The truth is, Marly isn't the most effective bait," Lance continued, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "If you really want to feast on big fish tomorrow, let me try something else."

"Big fish? Eat as much as you want," Lucia challenged, her voice carrying a tone of royal decree.

Lucia, a princess of the Faloran Empire, a landlocked country with only a few seaside cities, knew the value of fresh sea fish. "The taste of freshly caught fish is unparalleled," she remarked, thinking of the sea's bounty.

Lance's next words were playful yet daunting. "Tomorrow, you'll be the bait, and we'll see if we can catch a deep-sea monster. The bigger the beast, the tastier its meat. Why are you running away, baby dragon?"

"I don't want to be used as fish bait!!!" Lucia exclaimed, darting away with a dramatic flair, her laughter echoing behind her as she escaped the playful threat.