Wow. I knew that I was writing this story fast, but I can't believe that I finished chapter 2 so darn fast!

Slight change in plans, though. This will only tell what is happening on Dipper's side. Next chapter will tell Mabel and Stan's side.

So, read on...


Chapter 2: The Dragon Ballad

Dipper shivered at the sight of such large teeth. "F-f-finally," He stuttered.

"It appears I underestimated you. I thought you would run at the sight of me," the dragon stated.

"I t-t-told you!" Dipper exclaimed.

The dragon chuckled. "Perhaps this will be easier than I thought. But, where are my manners?" The dragon dipped its head. "I am Ancalagon, Lord of the Northeastern Coast."

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the name of some dragon made by Tolkien?"

"I am surprised you know that. But, yes, it is."

"Soooo," Dipper began, rubbing the back of his head, "why did you want me?"

"Dipper, there are many secrets in this world. Few truly know the vast extent, and none know them all. But I have called you here to learn more secrets, to share what knowledge I have gained." Ancalagon laid his tail beside his head. "Sit, and listen to a tale that spans centuries."

Dipper cautiously sat on Ancalagon's tail as he began his tale.


Long ago, men were not the dominant species. In fact, they were little more than an animal, extra large gnomes with none of the strengths of their smaller cousins.

In this time, magic was free on the land. The creatures that are now known as mythical or supernatural were commonplace. And the dominant species was the dragons.

You see, dragons are immune to almost any magic. With our armored bodies, sharp talons, and our flame, we are a match for any creature.

But I digress. You will learn more of that later.

Dragons kept the balance in the land. Magic had evolved hazardously, allowing some creatures to become too powerful and others too weak. If left to themselves, most magical creatures would have become extinct, with a few powerful creatures left.

This, in turn, included those creatures that were not magical. Without pressure by magical creatures, humans came to thrive. They evolved beyond their helplessness, growing smarter and wiser. Eventually, they began to build homes, towns, cities.

With the knowledge man now possessed, dragons believed that man could be exposed to magic once more. And that is where the troubles began.

Many humans were lost at the first exposures. Others came to fear magic and shun it in all forms. And yet others came to wield it, both in mercy and tyranny.

The dragons were shocked at how many humans found ways to tame wild magic. As time went on, these humans came to rival dragons themselves in power.

But when the dragons came forth to greet the humans as equals, humans struck out in fear. War began, and magic began to spin out of control.

As disaster loomed, the dragons used their combined powers to extinguish magic.

The effects were quick and devastating. Most magical creatures could not survive the change. Others, including the dragons, were hindered without magic. And humans lost their power.

The dragons hid themselves from the humans, hoping that they would forget, hoping that, in time, peace could be found between the two races.

Centuries past. Humans continued to evolve, discovering new ways to adapt and control what would normally be more powerful than they.

Many new dragons found that they still had some abilities from the time of magic, though not nearly what was had before. They found they could take the forms of others.

Several found that they enjoyed life among humans. In time, several even came to bare children with humans. And thus the dragonkin were born. I will tell you more of them towards the end.

Several nations of humans came to be, with more and more conflicting opinions. It is no surprise that conflict began amongst themselves.

This is the time you humans know as the Dark Ages. A time of knights and kings. Of castles and treasure. A time of dragons.

You see, in these wars, several dragons and dragonkin were seen as normal soldiers. But they knew of their abilities, and came to fight with them. As such, hidden in the shadows, dragon came to fight dragon in the manner of humans.

The rest of the dragons could not stand this. Such violence had not been heard of in millennia. So the dragons came to a decision: those who did not cease to fight would be revealed to the humans.

Many dragons and dragonkin abandoned their human lives and returned to the realm of the dragons. But several others refused.

Through careful planning and use of their remaining powers, the dragons revealed the existence of those rogues. They were reduced to living like animals, both hunters and hunted. Slowly, they were slain.

After the majority had been killed, the remainder pleaded to be hidden from the humans. They were refused at first.

But one human changed that. He is famous in your world for being a Christian martyr and a dragon slayer. He is famous among dragons for the latter deed. He is known as Saint George.

The dragon that was slain by him was no rogue. He was a young creature and not the monster that has been depicted in human legend. Saint George killed him while he slept.

This rattled all of dragon-kind. Humans were beginning to find the hidden dragons. With only experience of the rogues, they declared us all evil creatures.

After slaying the dragon, a new order arose, created to hunt down dragons. They were known as The Order of the Knights of Saint George. Even when their figurehead was slain for his religious beliefs, the order continued. And they were very effective at finding dragons.

Hiding was no longer an option. The dragons knew they would have to counter this order in order to insure their own survival. And so the dragonkin were sent to infiltrate human society, to find ways to counter the Knights.

Throughout your history, many great wars and conflicts have roots in the struggle between the dragons and the Knights. Both sides are aware of each other, and both are aware of the need to keep this struggle secret. For us dragons, discovery would mean being hunted down like animals, to be captured and killed. For the Knights, it would mean that dragons would survive, even if we are caged like animals.

And now, we come to the present day. The Knight of this area is aware of my presence. I came out of hiding to find you.


"Wait a minute. What about those dragonkin?" Dipper asked.

Ancalagon chuckled, and several loose stone fell from the ceiling. "Thank you. I had forgotten. Dragonkin are any mixture of dragon and human blood. The more dragon blood a dragonkin has, the more powerful he or she is. Two traits shared by all, however, are the ability to breath fire and that they have two forms: a draconic form and a human form."

"There are four categories of dragonkin," Ancalagon continued, "each with different forms. The first is the Draconian. These dragonkin are mostly human, with only traces of dragon blood in their veins. Their dragon form is humanoid with a dragon's head, tail, claws, and wings. They cannot fly, nor do they have any other special powers."

"The second is the Drakaniod. They are also mostly human, but with a dragon ancestor only a few generations back. Their dragon form is a dragon's body with a human torso at the front, similar to a centaur. They have human arms, but dragon heads and claws. They have the ability to communicate through telepathy and are physically superior to Draconians."

"The third is the Wyvern. These dragonkin are half dragon, half human, more or less. They appear as two-legged dragons with wings where the front legs should be. They have the same abilities as the Drakaniods, and can fly as well. They also have the ability to hypnotize."

"The final dragonkin is the Drake. They are mostly dragon, being the offspring of dragons and dragonkin. They appear as miniature dragons, in every way. They have the abilities of the Wyvern, in addition to telekinesis and the ability to appear as a different human for a limited time. These dragonkin are rare, and are usually mistaken for dragons by humans."

Dipper nodded. "And is this some sort of cast system, or…"

"No. All dragonkin are treated with respect. The only difference it makes is what they can do to aid in our cause."

Dipper nodded again. "Great. So, anything else you want to tell me?"

The dragon laughed. "I like you, Dipper. We have much in common."

Dipper raised an eyebrow incredulously. "I have a lot in common with an ancient dragon?"

This garnered another laugh from Ancalagon. "I am not ancient. If I was, why would I be named after a dragon created by Tolkien? No, I am a mere fifty years old, barely more than a child in the eyes of most dragons."

"Fifty years? And how long do dragons live?" Dipper inquired.

"Oh, centuries. In fact, most dragons alive today remember the incident with Saint George," Ancalagon supplied.

"Do dragonkin live that long?"

"Oh no. The longest living dragonkin, a Drakinoid born back in the nineteenth century, only lived for a meager two centuries. Died last month, if I remember right. Most only live for one, however."

Dipper chuckled at the 'meager two centuries'. "Well, why did you want to tell me all this?"

Ancalagon grew serious. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out, Dipper. But, I suppose I can tell you. This is your background."

Dipper's eyes grew wide as Ancalagon said, "You are dragonkin."

"In fact," he continued as Dipper let it sink in, "Your father is my elder brother. I guess I am, in human terms, your uncle."

"My father is your elder brother… My dad's alive?!" Dipper shouted.

"Ah, so that was the issue that could have made this harder. The father you knew, Mr. Pines, is dead."

Dipper's hope died. But, he decided to look on the bright side. He did have a dad who was alive.

"At this moment, he's off in Japan, keeping some humans from discovering a dragon hatching ground. Always did like the attention, ever since the Aztec called him a god…"

"So," Dipper interrupted, "I'm a Wyvern?"

"No. Your mother was a Wyvern. You are a Drake." Ancalagon snorted. "I wonder which side of the family you'll resemble in dragon form. My side has the wonderful black scales, but your mother's side does have the loveliest spines…"

"Hey, uh, Uncle?"

Ancalagon stopped his rambling. "Yes Dipper?"

"So, you're saying I'm part dragon, right?"

"Actually, it would be more accurate to say you are part human, seeing as you are mostly dragon."

"Right. So, why are you talking to just me? Is another dragon talking to Mabel?"

Ancalagon's laughter boomed throughout the cavern. "Another dragon?! My dear Dipper, the nearest dragon other than myself is either in Canada or Colorado. We only have a few places where many dragons gather."

"So why isn't Mabel here then?" Dipper pushed. "After all, she is my twin sister."

Ancalagon sighed. "Dipper, dragons have the ability to alter memories, although it isn't easy. My brother has done it once before. Your mother was slain by the Knights and you were vulnerable. Your father hide as well as he could; in plain sight. He found a couple who had just had a child and made them believe they had two."

Dipper felt another chill. He was working out the dragon's logic. But this time, he knew Ancalagon had to be wrong. They had been together their whole life. No one had ever given the slightest hint to support this.

Unfortunately, Ancalagon confirmed his fear with the words, "Mabel is not your sister."


And that's the plot twist I had to put in there. That's the little fact I mentioned in my prologue that will allow DipperxMabel without Pinecest.

So, Dipper is a Drake, and not related to Mabel. Such a cliffhanger, huh?

Please review!