Hi all!

This was a request by xiaandeltrioprincess5685. Since we don't have too many Dragon Quest VIII stories with Xia and Eltrio. I decided to do a story for them. I hope you all enjoy it!


Intro

My name is Xia. I am the daughter of Chen Mui. I live in the world of Dragovians. For as ages, we have been isolated from the other world that belonged to the humans. I was Chen Mui's only daughter and of course he worried constantly about me. Especially as began turning into a young woman and was soon to be married. My father, decided I was old enough to know about the humans. I was excited to know about another culture than mine.

My father was very serious. "Xia, you must remember you don't belong with a human man."

"Why is that, father?" I asked innocently. "What's wrong with the humans?"

"It's just that..." Chen Mui paused. "A Dragovian and a human can't build a life together. It is too different."

"Why?" I asked. "How is it wrong?"

"Xia. It is something you mustn't do." Chen Mui replied. "You must marry a Dragovian."

"Would it be a problem if I didn't?" I asked.

"Xia, you would be an outcast of the village." Chen Mui replied. "All of us Dragovians have married in and you'll do the same."

"Yes, father." I obeyed.

Traditions were very strong to the Dragovians. They didn't want us to mix blood with the humans. They believed that no good would come of it. They we must keep the bloodline pure of Dragovian. No one in the village ever married out. Everyone was arranged with a Dragovian. My father thought it would be best that since the Lord of Dragovians was looking for a wife that I be chosen in a few years.

Oh I forgot, you all are probably wondering what a Dragovian is! We Dragovians have Dragon blood inside of us. That's why the Lord of Dragovians can transform into different dragons and that's why we bare the markings on our ears. The ends of ears are a deep bloody red and they point out. Sometimes in legend we are called the "Dragon People", our people were good at taming dragons many centuries ago! It's all very interesting!

Chen Mui is my father. My mother died when I was young. I believe that's what happened. She became very ill and never recovered. Chen Mui doesn't like to talk about it very much. It's been mostly me and him. Chen Mui has raised me for most of my life. As I said before, I'm his only daughter so he is very protective of me. He worked very hard to make my upbringing the best.

"You must never fall in love with a human, Xia. It is forbidden." Chen Mui warned again. "Stay away from the human men."

"Yes, father." I replied. "I won't go near them."

Chen Mui went to go meet with one of the elders as read more books on our history. I was curious to know why Dragovians were so afraid of the humans. From what I was taught, it was a fear of the unknown. It was a fear of difference and tainting the race. There was all kinds of reasons but I felt that we should be past it and stop trying to isolate ourselves and stay in such old ways. That it should be ok.

My best friend of the time came running in. Her name was Laria. Laria heard about my upcoming trip to the human world. It was only a few weeks away. Laria and I went through school days together. We've been friends since we were about five or four. Laria was very pretty. She was a rare form of Dragovian too. She had the rare "emerald" eyes that not many had. Also the rare genetics of the berry blonde hair. I think you all call it Strawberry blonde but we didn't have a word for that then. We called every berry "berry" in English and different things in Dragovian language.

Chen Mui was getting nervous for my trip to the human world. He worried that the forbidden would happen. He constantly told me over and over to stay away from the human men. That the human men were poisonous and that human women were no different.

I started thinking we weren't giving the humans a fair chance. They we held too much of a grudge. Well, not a grudge but just being stuck in our ways too much. I started thinking we needed to change and be friendly with the humans.

"Hi, Xia!" Laria came running in. "I can't wait for you to go to the world of the humans. I want to hear all about when you come back!"

I laughed. "Sure, Laria. I will. I'll tell you what I see. It is very exciting."

Laria was very giddy about everything. Laria was married to a Dragovian male by the name Mian. They were expecting a baby soon. Laria began poking out a little. She was so excited for when her first child will be born.

"I'm not sure if I want a girl or boy yet!" Laria replied. "I'm hoping for a boy to be honest."

"Not a girl?" I teased. "A girl would be nice."

"Yes, it would be. I think a boy would be good. Mian wants a boy." Laria laughed.

Laria and I continued to talk until our butler came to give us lunch. Then we continued to talk some more. Laria began wondering when I was getting married.

"I'm not sure, Laria." I replied. "I'm due to be married to the Lord of Dragovians in a few years when it's time."

Laria beamed. "Him? Oh, Xia. He's so handsome. He'll make a wonderful husband for you. He's so strong."

"Maybe. We'll see, my father said he's one of the choices." I replied.

As I continued to listen to Laria talk about her pregnancy, I began drifting off into my own thoughts. I began thinking about what it would be like to marry a human male instead of a Dragovian. That what would occur if it did happen. My father would kill me for having such thoughts about the forbidden but it couldn't be helped. Why was it so wrong to love a human man? What if it wasn't as bad as the village was saying?

I continued thinking long and hard about it. What if I met a charming human man in the human world? I just couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Xia? Xia? Are you listening?" Laria called to me.

"Oh...Yes, yes I am. I'm sorry, just drifted off." I replied.

"You seemed to be thinking about something really complex." Laria replied. "Maybe I can help."

"Well, Chen Mui keeps telling me to stay away from the human males." I replied. "Chen Mui says they're trouble."

"Yes, it's the traditions of the Dragovians." Laria explained. "We want to keep the bloodline going and the Dragovians think that a human and a Dragovian shouldn't be together."

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah, when I was growing up...I wondered the same thing." Laria confessed. "My father and mother always warned me to stay away from the humans."

"What's so bad about them? I'm sure they're a great culture." I replied.

"I believe they are..Oh, but I can't say that around here." Laria laughed. "I would be cursed out by the elders and townspeople."

"Oh, that sounds serious." I replied.

"Oh, it really is, Xia." Laria replied. "Don't mix up with them. Stick to the Lord of Dragovians."

The Dragovians lived by this strict code for centuries. No one ever broke the code. Chen Mui himself said that he hoped he never lived to see the day it happened and so did the elders. They were so old fashioned! I'm not saying it's a bad thing but sometimes we can't hold on traditions forever, that was in their day. Times are different now. There I go again, sometimes I think a little differently than the rest of the Dragovians.

"Just be careful on your trip, Xia. You'll see a lot of humans." Laria warned. "Watch yourself, Xia."

"Yes, Laria. I will, don't worry. " I laughed. "Nothing will go wrong."

Chen Mui found me and took aside in the bedroom and had a serious talk with me. Something was troubling him because it showed. I could tell this would take awhile so I sat down as Chen Mui sat close to me.

"Father, you looked perplexed." I replied. "What's going on?"

"Xia, I almost forgot to warn you." Chen Mui grabbed my hands. "You're growing to up to young lady soon. I know we've talked about sex but I have to put more of caution on it because of the humans."

"Father, I won't..." I began.

"Xia, you are to never have sex with a human man. It would doom your future. The child you would have be an abomination. Not only to us Dragovians but to the church as well. The child would be a sin." Chen mui grabbed my hands tigher. "Promise me you won't let a human male violate you."

"I promise, father. I'll make sure to fight the feelings." I replied.

"Good." Chen Mui finished lecturing me as he got up to go back to the elders.

This was really starting to be serious now.

It was tough to be Dragovian sometimes. We followed many strict traditions and rules. We've had a few become rebellious but they always were straightened out. I felt like it would be tough to follow the rules in the human world. It seems we were so focused on not making this happen that one of us would mess one day for sure. It could be so much to handle sometime.

I looked out the window, what if I fell in love with a human? What would I do? I wasn't sure what I would do.

"Father, what if it could work out?" I asked. "Can't we put aside our differences?"

"Xia..." Chen Mui paused. "It just isn't made for a Dragovian and a human to lead a happy life. We've all married Dragovian counter parts and you'll do the same."

"I-I..." I stopped myself. I wasn't going to argue with my father.

I guess because of what I was born into, I couldn't fight the traditions although sometimes I wanted to. As sweet as Laria was, that wasn't the case when we were younger. Sometimes should would rebel in school with our Dragovian teachings and try to do things a different way. It often got her punishments in school. She one time said something so vile to antagonize our teacher.

"When I grow up, I won't marry a Dragovian man! I'll marry a human man!" Laria cursed. "We stick to too many traditions!"

Laria grew up to marry a Draovian man instead. She was considered rebellious until she married one. Our culture tends to be a bit rough with the society. If anyone did anything outside the norm they were scoulded and mocked. You were judged harshly until you changed. It was not very easy for us. Sometimes I struggled with our traditions.

I did realize once I entered the human world. Chen Mui and the rest of them didn't have much control, I was an adult by Dragovian standards.

I still felt like the Dragovians and the humans should reconcile differences. It shouldn't matter if we took the marriage with one of them. So, I thought but it would be the biggest test me later when a human male did catch my eye.

I would go through the very cruel reality of not following the Dragovian way. It would follow me for the rest of my short life.