Harry Potter and the Shattered Ring Chapter 31 (A She-Dragon)

 The dragon lowered its enormous head, bringing one eye--each easily the size of a dinner plate--level with Harry. When it spoke, its voice was female and resonated with power that made the air vibrate.

"Why is a Tarnished here?" the dragon asked, and Harry's surprise at hearing actual words nearly made him drop his sword entirely. "In this world, so far from the Lands Between? I sensed your Grace from leagues away, young champion. Speak. Why have you summoned me?"

Harry swallowed hard, adjusting his grip on his sword while keeping his golden daggers ready. Having a conversation with a massive dragon hadn't been part of his plan, but he'd learned to adapt to unexpected situations.

"I'm here to bring you back to the Lands Between," Harry said with his commanding voice. Despite what was in front of him, Harry found himself lacking fear. "This isn't your world. You don't belong here."

The dragon's laugh was like distant thunder. "Bold words from one so small. I have no desire to return to that broken realm, Tarnished. This world is... refreshing. Alive in ways the Lands Between have forgotten."

"You can't stay here," Harry insisted, and he added more grace to his daggers, causing them to grow, each the size of a sword. "You've already attacked humans. Killed two of them. That makes you a threat I can't ignore."

The dragon's expression shifted to something that might have been indignation. "They were harming a fellow dragon! I watched them attack a smaller dragon in her own home, subdue her with their magics. Was I to simply observe while they committed such violence?"

"The dragon was just stunned," Harry explained, trying to keep his tone reasonable despite the absurdity of arguing with a creature that could swallow him whole. "They weren't going to harm her permanently. They needed her for--" He paused, remembering Charlie's mention of a tournament but not understanding the context. "They needed her for something. But they would have returned her safely."

The dragon snorted, a blast of superheated air that made Harry's hair whip back from his face. "I know the greed that humans possess, young Tarnished. I have seen what your kind does when they desire something. The smaller dragon was attacked in her own dwelling, subdued against her will. I merely... assisted her. Reminded these humans that dragons are not cattle to be captured and claimed."

"Regardless of your intentions," Harry said firmly, "you cannot remain in this world. Too many people will die if you do. You must return to the Lands Between."

The dragon's massive head tilted, studying him with renewed interest. "And if I refuse? What then, little champion?"

Harry raised his sword, the blade beginning to glow with golden light as he channeled Grace into it. "Then I'll force you back."

For a moment, the clearing was utterly silent save for the gentle rustling of his golden tree's leaves. Then the dragon threw back her head and laughed--a sound of genuine amusement that echoed off the mountains.

"Such bravery! Such foolishness!" The dragon's eyes gleamed with something between respect and pity. "You have spirit, Tarnished. The only champion capable of truly harming me was Vyke, and Vyke is no more. What makes you think you can succeed where even the mightiest of your kind would fail?"

Harry had no idea who Vyke was. "I will protect this world from threats from the Lands Between. That includes you. So I'll say it one more time--return home. Now."

The dragon regarded him for a long moment, and Harry could practically see calculations happening behind those ancient eyes. Then something changed in her expression--amusement giving way to what might have been approval.

"Very well, little champion. I think we need to have a talk, and this one face to face"

Before Harry could ask what that meant, a massive bolt of crimson lightning struck the dragon's entire body. The blast was so intense that Harry threw up his arm to shield his face, his golden daggers automatically positioning themselves as a protective barrier. The heat was incredible, the light blinding, the sound deafening.

When the lightning finally dissipated, leaving spots dancing in Harry's vision and the smell of ozone thick in the air, the dragon was gone.

In its place stood a woman.

Her body was wrapped in a long, flowing skirt of pale blue silk, light as mist, the folds drifting around her legs with every step. From the waist up, she wore no true garment, only an intricate corset-like lattice of carved bone and scaled patterns that seemed to be part of her skin, white and ridged like the spine of some beast. Gold bands clasped her wrists and upper arms, heavy and ceremonial, their surfaces etched with runes that glowed faintly when the red fire behind her flared. She had long silver hair, reaching her lower back,and  two short white horns grew from the back of her head. Smaller versions of her silver scales ran along her arm, and a short tail was behind her. She was very beautiful, with full lips and bright purple eyes, the kind of beauty that was hard to believe existed; she had full breasts and a wonderful body.

"My name," she said sweetly, "is Lansseax. Though in this form, I prefer Lynnarra--my human name, chosen long ago when I first walked among the denizens of the Lands Between." She spread her arms in a gesture that might have been welcoming or mocking. "Is this more comfortable for conversation, young Tarnished? Or would you prefer to continue threatening me while I tower over you?"

Harry stared, his sword still raised but his mind reeling with implications. Dragons could take human form? Ancient dragons from the Lands Between could just... transform? And she had a human name, which suggested she'd done this before, had practice being something other than the massive creature he'd just witnessed.

"I..." Harry began, then stopped, trying to reorganize his thoughts into something coherent. "You can change forms?"

"Ancient dragons possess many gifts," Lynnarra said, walking casually toward them. "We are not mere beasts, despite what your kind may believe. We think, we reason, we adapt." Her smile widened slightly, revealing teeth just a touch too sharp. "And occasionally, we choose to walk on two legs rather than four. It makes certain conversations so much more... intimate, don't you think?"

Melina moved to stand beside Harry, her hand touching his arm lightly in a gesture that might have been support or warning. "Lansseax, the Ancient Dragon and biggest supporter of the Tarnished," she said quietly, recognition evident in her voice.

The dragon-woman's head tilted slightly. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, maiden." Her ancient eyes studied Melina with renewed interest. "Though... there's something familiar about you. You bear a resemblance to a certain Eternal Queen, though the coloring is different." 

Melina made no comment, her face remained blank, but Harry knew Melina was tense. Lynnarra's attention shifted back to Harry, dismissing the maiden as she stepped closer, circling him like a predator.

"And who might you be, young one?" she asked, her gaze moving from Harry to the massive golden tree behind him. Even as they spoke, the tree had begun to shrink, no longer sustained by Harry's active channeling of Grace. It had diminished from its peak of fifty meters to perhaps forty, and continued to slowly recede. "That display was quite impressive. Since you can use Grace--" she gestured elegantly at the diminishing tree, "--you must be the Tarnished from the other world I've heard whispers about."

Harry straightened his spine, refusing to be intimidated despite the fact that this woman could transform into something large enough to swallow him whole. "I'm Harry Potter. And yes, I'm from another world. Which brings me back to my original question--why are you here? Did you just grow tired of the Lands Between?"

"Tired of the Lands Between?" Lynnarra laughed. "Oh, that broken realm ceased to interest me long ago. No, Harry Potter, I came here because of you."

Harry felt his grip tighten on his sword. "What do you mean?"

"I need your help," Lynnarra said simply, her expression becoming serious for the first time since taking human form.

Harry exchanged a quick look with Melina, whose golden eye had narrowed suspiciously. When he turned back to the dragon-woman, his voice was flat. "Why should I help you? You didn't exactly make a good first impression. You killed two people."

"They harmed a fellow dragon," Lynnarra replied. "Attacked her in her own dwelling, subdued her with their magics. Would you stand idle while your kin were assaulted?"

"They were just stunning her," Harry argued. "They would have released her after--"

"After what?" Lynnarra interrupted, her eyes flashing with lightning for just an instant. "After they used her for whatever purpose they desired? After they decided her service to their needs was complete? No, young Tarnished. I know what humans do when they want something from creatures they view as lesser."

Harry took a breath, forcing himself to remain calm. "Fine. You want my help. But here's the thing--even if I help you, what's stopping you from just staying here? Causing more problems?"

"Nothing," Lynnarra admitted with a slight smile. "If you refuse to help, then I will remain in this world. It's quite pleasant here, really. So much life. The Lands Between are dying, but this realm..." She spread her arms, encompassing the mountains and sky. "This realm thrums with possibility."

"Then I'll force you back," Harry said, raising his sword again. The golden daggers above his head pulsed with renewed energy.

Lynnarra giggled; she was clearly not taking him seriously. "Oh, you are brave. Brave but stupid, which seems to be a common combination among Tarnished." Her expression became almost pitying. "I heard you killed Godrick the Grafted. Quite a feat, truly. But young one, Godrick was the most pathetic lord in the Lands Between. Everyone knew that. He was weak, desperate, grafting strength he could never truly possess."

She took a step closer, and Harry felt the temperature drop slightly. "You are welcome to try fighting me, Harry Potter. But you would lose. Badly. And you would gain nothing except injuries that might very well kill you." Her smile returned, warmer now, almost friendly. "Or... you could help me with a simple task, and I promise to return to the Lands Between and never come back to this world. Ever."

Harry studied her face, searching for deception. "How can I trust you?"

"You can't," Lynnarra said simply. "You have no reason to trust me at all. I am an ancient dragon who has lived longer than your world has recorded history. I have no obligation to keep my word to a child who threatens me with a toothpick for a sword." She paused, letting that sink in. "But right now, Harry Potter, you don't have a choice. You cannot force me to leave. Your magic, impressive as it may be for one so young, is nothing compared to mine. So your options are quite simple--help me and be rid of me, or refuse and have me as a permanent resident of your world."

Harry felt his jaw clench. She was right, and they both knew it. He could probably hurt her in human form, but the moment she transformed back... "What do you want?"

"I want you to find Dragonlord Placidusax," Lynnarra said.

The name triggered a memory, and Harry looked to Melina. "I've heard that name before. Who is he?"

Melina's expression had grown troubled. "Placidusax was the Elden Lord of the Lands Between before Queen Marika. He was the ruler of all dragonkind, the first Elden Lord, the most powerful being in existence before the age of the Erdtree." She paused, her golden eye fixed on Lynnarra. "He should be dead. He was mortally wounded in the battle with Bayle, The Dread. He's been dead for ages."

"Not dead," Lynnarra said softly. "Merely... sleeping. I can feel him sometimes, in my dreams. The pull of his presence, calling to those of us who served him." Her ancient eyes met Harry's. "I need to find him."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why do you need to find him?"

Lynnarra's expression closed off, becoming unreadable. "My reasons are my own, young Tarnished. You help me find him--that is the bargain. In exchange, I harm no one in this world. I return to the Lands Between. And--" she smiled slightly, "--to sweeten the deal, I can teach you Dragon Communion, if you desire. The ability to consume dragon hearts and take their power for your own. It's an ancient art, one that few remember."

"That sounds pleasant," Harry muttered under his breath. 

This felt wrong. Another deal, another bargain where he didn't know all the terms. He remembered Prince Miquella telling him about the Dark Moon's influence, about how he'd been using Carian magic without training because something was manipulating him. He remembered the ring Miquella had given him, sitting on his finger right now, supposedly helping him distinguish his own thoughts from external influences.

Was this his own decision, or was something pushing him toward it?

But even as doubt gnawed at him, Harry knew the practical truth. He couldn't defeat her. Not really. Maybe if he used Carian magic--the very magic that proved he was being influenced by the Dark Moon--he might stand a chance, but no, even with Carian Magic, he knew he was no match for her. He had used Carian Magic to defeat Godrick, and it took everything for him and his friends to kill him, yet she spoke of Godrick as if he were a mere ant she would crush like an ant.

His Grace abilities were powerful but not designed for combat against something this ancient and skilled. And the Dark Flames... he shuddered internally. He hated using those, hated the way they felt wrong and corrupted even as they burned.

He looked at Melina, searching her face for guidance. She met his gaze steadily but said nothing, leaving the choice to him.

Harry turned back to Lynnarra. Behind her, his golden tree had shrunk to perhaps thirty meters now, continuing its slow dissolution.

"Fine," Harry said, the word tasting like ash in his mouth. "I'll help you find Placidusax. But you will be with me in the Lands Between, I won't go there knowing you are still here. Once the job is done you will never return here. No loopholes, no technicalities. You give me your word as an ancient dragon."

Lynnarra's smile was radiant. "You have my word, Harry Potter. By my true name Lansseax, by the lightning I command, by the memory of the Dragonlord himself--I will return to the Lands Between and never set claw or foot in your world again once you help me find what I seek."

That is as much as I will get, Harry thought.

"How do we even start looking for him?" Harry asked, feeling suddenly exhausted by the weight of yet another impossible task added to his growing list. "You said you need to find him, but do you even know where he is?"

Lynnarra's expression became troubled, the first real vulnerability Harry had seen from her. "I don't know his exact location. I only know that he still lives." She paused, her ancient eyes distant. "But I believe there is information about his whereabouts in Farum Azula. The ancient dragon city, where our kind once ruled before the age of the Erdtree."

"Then why don't you just go there yourself?" Harry asked. "If you know where to look--"

"Because I cannot," Lynnarra interrupted, and for the first time, Harry heard genuine frustration in her voice. "Farum Azula is... forbidden to me now." She shook her head. "I broke my oath as an Ancient Dragon. As a Tarnished from another world, you are not bound by the same restrictions."

"Where is this Farum Azula?" Harry pressed, looking to Melina for confirmation.

Melina's expression had grown careful, guarded. "No one really knows for sure anymore. It exists... outside of normal space, perhaps outside of time itself. The records are fragmentary at best, contradictory at worst." Her golden eye fixed on Lynnarra. "Even if Harry could reach it, finding specific information there would be--"

"A challenge," Lynnarra finished smoothly. "Yes. But one I believe him capable of meeting, given time and proper preparation." She turned back to Harry. "This is not a quest to be undertaken immediately. You'll need research. Training. Perhaps allies. But it can be done."

Harry felt his jaw clench. More vague promises, more mysterious locations, more impossible tasks with incomplete information. "That's wonderfully vague."

Harry looked up at his golden tree, now barely twenty meters tall and fading fast. The light it cast was dimmer, the healing energy it radiated weaker. Soon it would be gone completely, and he'd be standing in a scorched clearing with a dragon-woman who'd just forced him into a bargain he didn't fully understand.

Melina's hand tightened on his arm, drawing his attention. When he looked at her, she gave a subtle shake of her head.

"You should return to your friends," Melina said aloud, addressing Harry but clearly also speaking for Lynnarra's benefit. "The Weasleys will be worried about you. You can tell them the dragon won't be a problem anymore." She paused significantly. "For now."

"For now," Lynnarra agreed pleasantly. "I'll remain in these mountains while you... attend to your mortal concerns. When you're ready to begin searching for Farum Azula, I'll find you. I can sense your Grace from quite some distance, after all."

"Just like that?" Harry asked suspiciously. "You're just going to let us leave?"

"I'm not your enemy, Harry Potter," Lynnarra said, and for the first time, she sounded almost sincere. "Merely someone who needs assistance with a task beyond her ability to accomplish alone. You've agreed to help. I've given my oath. There's no reason for hostility between us." She paused, glancing at the golden daggers still hovering above his head. "Though I would appreciate it if you'd stop pointing those daggers at me. They're making me nervous."

Harry realized his golden daggers were still hovering in attack formation. With a thought, he dismissed them, watching as they dissolved into harmless motes of light.

"Better," Lynnarra said approvingly. "Now then, I believe I'll return to observing this fascinating world of yours while you contemplate the bargain you've just made. Try not to worry too much, young Tarnished. I keep my word. Unlike some beings you may encounter."

Before Harry could ask what that meant, Lynnarra's form began to shimmer and shift. Silver hair lengthened and transformed into gleaming scales. Her body expanded, growing massive as she resumed her true dragon form. Within seconds, the woman was gone, replaced by the towering white dragon with four wings and crystal thorns.

Lansseax spread her wings, the movement creating a wind that nearly knocked Harry off his feet. "Until we meet again, Harry Potter," her voice boomed, somehow still feminine despite emerging from that massive throat. "Try not to die in the meantime. Dead Tarnished make poor treasure hunters."

With a single powerful beat of her four wings, she launched herself skyward. Harry watched as she climbed higher and higher, her white scales catching the sunlight until she looked like a falling star in reverse. Then she was gone, disappearing into the clouds and leaving only the fading sound of her passage.

Harry stood in silence for a long moment, staring at the empty sky. His golden tree had shrunk to barely ten meters now, its light flickering like a dying candle.

"That," he said finally, "could have gone better."

Melina's hand squeezed his arm gently. "You made the choice available to you, Harry. Given the circumstances, it may have been the wisest option."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Harry muttered. "First the Dark Moon influencing me without my knowledge, and now a bargain with an ancient dragon to find information about her long-lost dragon lord in a city that may or may not exist and that she can't visit herself. My life just gets more and more complicated."

"We'll discuss Farum Azula properly later," Melina said, her tone making it clear this wasn't the time or place for that conversation. "For now, we need to return to St. Bartholomew's. You need to tell the Weasleys that the dragon threat has been... neutralized."

"Has it though?" Harry asked. "She's still here. She could change her mind, she did say that she broke her oath as an Ancient Dragon."

"Ancient dragons do not break their word lightly. As long as you uphold your end of the bargain, she will uphold hers." She paused. "Though I would recommend we begin researching Farum Azula sooner rather than later. The longer she waits, the more... impatient she may become."

Harry looked at her, seeing something troubled in her golden eye. "You know something about this place. About why she can't go there."

"I know many things," Melina said carefully. "Some I can share, some I cannot. Not yet." She met his eyes. "But I promise you, Harry--when we discuss Farum Azula, I will tell you everything I know. Everything you need to know to make an informed decision about whether to actually go through with this bargain."

"But not here," Harry said, understanding.

"Not here," Melina confirmed. "Come. The Weasleys are worried, and you've been gone long enough. We'll have time to unravel these mysteries later."

Harry wanted to press, wanted answers to the thousand questions swirling in his mind. But the exhaustion of channeling such a massive healing tree, combined with the stress of confronting an ancient dragon and making a bargain he barely understood, was finally catching up with him.

"Fine," he said. "But we're going to have a very long conversation about Farum Azula, about why Lansseax can't go there, and about all the other things people keep not telling me. Very soon."

"Very soon, I don't know what oath she broke, but I will tell you what I know about Farum Azula," Melina agreed, and began gathering the blue light that would transport them back to St. Bartholomew's.

As the Romanian mountains dissolved around him, Harry's last sight was of his golden tree finally fading completely, but leaving behind grass that had grown.

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Lansseax, The She-Dragon