He picked up a few gold coins and tossed them aside. Gold had lost its touch for him. It shone in light and was easy to obtain if one knew where to look. That made it all the more boring. He moved on to the jewels. They had a variety of colors, shapes, and luster, but they held no more warmth than the gold did. Jewels were by far some of his most valuable pieces, but even they couldn't hold his interest anymore. He needed a new treasure. A jewel with flesh to touch and a heart to keep him entertained.

Once the thought crossed his mind about a living jewel, he knew it was probably the least boring idea he'd had in years. Setting fire to villages was fun, as was stealing treasure from greedy lords, but he wanted more than that temporary thrill. He'd made up his mind, he would take a living jewel. Now, there was only the color and shape left to decide. A female, although beautiful, would be too much trouble. The most beautiful maidens were either spoiled princesses (Knights would surely come to bother him for taking her) or they were hidden with the fairies and everyone knew the fea were full of tricks. They'd most likely give him an illusion of a girl and take half his treasure for her, or give him the worst one of the lot, still for half his treasure. No, the best path would be to take a male, but he would have to be careful who he chose. A man had more fight than a woman, and that would make him interesting, along with more trouble.

What kind of man did he want to take? He liked musicians and singers, maybe someone who could do both. Playing an instrument wouldn't be necessary if they could sing. The thought of his new treasure singing him to sleep amused him greatly. And it would be wonderful if they could dance. He loved to watch the villages hold festivals, and to watch all the humans dance, before he burnt them down. He'd never danced before, nor did he think he would like to, but he'd seen people move in ways that dazzled the mind and called for a smile upon his face. Yes, a dancing, laughing, singing treasure would suit his tastes quite nicely.

...

"Come on, Lovi! Sing another."

"Pay me first. I'm suppose to be selling pots, but you just had to make me start singing." He shoved a bowl into Antonio's hands.

His friend dropped a few silver coins into it and set it back at his feet. "You've caught the attention of the townspeople."

"Yes, but I'm suppose to be selling Feliciano's pots and baskets, not my voice."

"All you've done is sit and scowl. You're scaring everyone off. If you weren't my friend, I'd be afraid to approach you too." Antonio sat beside him and smiled.

"No, you wouldn't be," he grumbled. People were eyeing him curiously. They were interested to hear him sing more. The smallness of the town didn't allow for many bards to pass through and any musicians inside the town were mediocre at best. "Fine, but you sit here and deal with people buying things. Let me borrow your mandolin."

Lovino settled the stringed instrument into his arms and rested his fingers on the strings. He hesitated a moment before strumming the strings. People were looking over, already inching closer, but he ignored them. By the time he opened his mouth to sing, a good crowd was gathering.

"Dragon ho, dragon hi.
The princess sits in pretty towers.
Knights come with armies armed in battlemail,
but the dragon just knocks them aside with his tail.
They can't run. They can't hide.
The dragon love to have fun with their ragged hides.
The princess cries,
but she'll be there until she dies.
Dragon hi, dragon ho."

It was a cheerful tune that he'd sang many times in different towns. It was one of his favorites, but the people looked at each other and glanced to the skies. He took a que from the crowd and changed to a song with amusing lyrics, and soon the people were smiling. A few children had started to dance, and the pots and baskets were slowly disappearing and his bowl was full with coins.

"I should start putting my cart closer, you're good for business." Antonio laughed as the market began to close.

"If you put it any closer, we'd have to merge our stocks." He handed Antonio his mandolin and transferred the money into a pouch around his neck. Lovino folded up the blanket he'd been sitting on and threw it into his cart.

"That's a great idea!"

"Idiot." He rolled his eyes, and got his horse from the town's stables. "Stop joking around."

"I'm not joking. We could split the profit right down the middle." Antonio helped him hook his horse to the cart.

"Stupid. Pots sell for more than your produce. I'd lose money if we split it like that."

"Really?" Antonio smiled and rubbed his neck. "I'm not good with money."

"I can tell. See you tomorrow." Lovino hopped up on the bench and snapped the reigns.

"Bye!"

He waited to get out of town before he stopped to pried up the bench and dropped the money pouch into the hiding spot. It's not that he didn't trust the people in town, they were rather nice, but there were pickpockets in every town. Lovino took precautions to protect the little money he earned like any good former thief, but he had trouble controlling his own urges to slip his hand into a pocket or two. Lovino had promised his brother no more stealing though, and he would keep good on that promise.

"Damn." He sighed and looked back at the town of Dragonglen. It was small, just rebuilding from a "dragon attack" a few years back. He believed the town just had an unfortunate habit of burning down. It had been destroyed by fire so many times, the only people who stayed there were families that had been there forever. The only reason Lovino had decided to stay there was because he had promised Feliciano that they would settle in the first town they came across. Unfortunately, it had to be this one. But Lovino couldn't really complain. The people were wonderful and Feliciano loved it. If Feliciano was happy, then he'd stick around for now. It was nice having a place he could consider home, but he missed travelling. Lovino missed the freedom of having no place to return to and no one to hold him down. He could feel the itch to roam growing as he grew more comfortable in Dragonglen.

His horse stopped suddenly and he snapped out of his daze. A large tree blocked the road. Lovino glanced around cautiously and jumped to the ground. Both sides of the road were lined by pale wheat fields, and the closest trees were merely specs in the distant Drake Forest.

"I don't like this, Penne." Lovino grabbed his horse's bridle and led her around the tree. Everything was so quiet, not even the wind dared to make a sound, and Penne kept her ears pricked up. Just as he rounded the tree, a strange noise reached his ears. He looked around, trying to locate the source. Lovino glanced up in time to see a huge, green shape descending from the sky.

He screamed and threw himself into the ditch, just as claws grabbed the air where he was. Penne let out a frightened whiny and took off without him. "No! Come back!"

Lovino looked back to see the thing turning for another go at him. The monster was as terrifying as the stories said. He sprinted into the fields of wheat, hoping to outrun the monster, but a wall of flame cut him off and the beast landed. Lovino fell back and started scrambling backwards.

"Please, don't eat me! I don't taste good! I'm not a virgin!"

The dragon quirked its massive head and raised a clawed foot. Lovino threw up his arms and cowered, closing his eyes in the face of death, but he was suddenly lifted. He opened his eyes and saw the ground rushing beneath him, growing farther away. He looked up and saw an armored chest, leading to a long, scaly neck.

Lovino passed out.

New story! Let me know if you want more of this.

-Windy