Mana Wells

"Umm, Hello Lord Darien," said Kurt.

The dragon kept its head low and to the balcony's floor. And slowly with a raspy voice, "Your grace."

"Grace?" Kurt shook his head."

"Yes, is there something you need from me," said Darien. Talia came closer to Kurt, even though it was apparent the dragon was not trying to speak too loudly he was so massive even his low voice boomed across the balcony.

"That I need from you?" said Kurt, "What could I need from you?"

"I am unaware of what, if you're not here for me then may I ask why you are here, sir."

Talia was giving Kurt a strange look, like the dragon was still acting really weird to her. It must have been like when a bully suddenly becomes nice to you, you end up suspicious of the person's motives. She whispered, "Grace, sir? He's never been so respectful."

"I'm here at the invitation of the Valentine Clan, and to propose," said Kurt, and turned towards a blushing Talia.

The dragon's eyes widened, it slightly raised its head from its down position. "So this one pleases you?"

"Umm, I wouldn't say it like that, but," Kurt said looking at Talia, "but yes, I would agree."

"Then I would offer her my blessing as a gift to you."

"Your blessing," said Kurt. And Talia tugged his arm, he turned to see her looking, "what?"

"I think you should say yes," said Talia, "you wouldn't want to insult him." She turned her head down a little in a cute way.

"Will we accept this gift?" said Kurt.

"Step forward," said Darien, looking at Talia.

Talia whispered, "I think I figured it out, it's your aura, he's trying to stay on the edge of it for some reason, I'll go."

Talia walked up to the dragon, the dragon finally raised his head, eyeing Kurt as he did, pulling his head up into the sky and the dragon took a deep breath. His long neck made his head head being right above Talia as it turned down.

A fire came out of Darien's mouth, and the flume started to head towards Talia.

"What are you doing!" said Kurt, "don't hurt…"

He saw Talia shake her head, and smile. Did she want to get burned? The flame started as red but it started to use the spectrum of colors within it, blue, green, yellow, oranges, mixing in the flame chaotically. The flame covered Talia's whole body, encompassing the surrounding area. He could see her in the center, and she was not being burned, she was bathing in the flames of the dragon.

The flames didn't heat up the area, or cause the ground to be charred with a soot. The games lasted for a minute before dissipating, the dragon brought his body back down, his head low again. Talia's face was covered with a huge smile, and looked like she had been unaffected by the flames, at least in the way you'd normally expect. What exactly just happened? He vaguely remembers Layla mentioning bathing in a dragon's flame has a similar effect to Mana Wells. He started to feel another similar presence as the dragon and the King but it was coming from Talia.

"It is done," said Darien.

Talia came back to Kurt's side, "you have no idea what that means do you?" Kurt shook his head.

"Is there anything else you need from me?" Said the dragon.

"Hmm, mostly just a question," said Kurt. Talia seemed confused by the response.

"And that is?"

"Do you know where the temple of Neptune is?"

"Hmm," said the Dragon, "there are many temples of Neptune."

"The one with the river?"

"Yes, the river, that temple is a distance from here," the dragon turned toward a direction across the basin. I could reach it if you need to get there in a few days. But the river is dry."

"It's not anymore."

"That's…" the dragon stopped himself, "is a great accomplishment."

"Well, I guess it wasn't really mine."

The dragon still with his head low to the ground, seemingly to keep it below Kurt's own. "Did you need me to take you? Or is there anything else? Or may I have my leave, your grace."

"No, no. You can go," said Kurt.

The dragon outstretched his wings, and gave a large flap lifting him from the ground, "if you need me the ones here know how to reach me."

"It's been a pleasure," said Kurt.

The dragon nodded back to him, then began to fly toward the large floating island that seemed to be his home. Flying off to the distance. At least he probably solved the issue, he was leaving.

"So what happened?" said Kurt.

Talia was looking at her hands moving them slowly then vastly, like she was testing out her body, a feeling Kurt had experienced once. The flames must have empowered her in some way. And Talia began laughing, "it's so much, Luther you've been hiding this." She walked casually to Kurt and grabbed his arm next to him, "that was amazing, I feel so light now."

"You have a similar presence to the King now," said Kurt.

"Ohh why do you think he's king? It's because of the dragon's blessing."

"So what's that mean?"

"It means I've been promoted. They won't be able to deny it."

"But how do we explain this?"

"Well," said Talia, pulling off Kurt and rubbing her arm with her head down a little, "I have an idea."

"And what's that?"

"Well, you did say you were here to propose…and yes. I say yes."

"But, huh?"

"We can play it off as your proposal, nobles usually do something grand, and I can't think of anything more grand than the dragon's blessing."

"Then will you marry me?"

Talia rushed toward Kurt embrace, "of course yes, a thousand times yes." And they sealed it with a kiss. And they began to walk back to the keep together hand in hand. Both blushing a little about what happened.

"You think they will buy it?"

"What's to buy, we are engaged now."

"I don't have a ring or anything," said Kurt.

"I'm sure you can find one," said Talia.

"So what do we say the dragon came earlier than I expected?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. Or that you wanted it to surprise me."

"It certainly was a surprise to me.