A/N: Yet again, I am at a loss to name this song. Suggestions?
Which Concerns Families
Over the next week, Ilayilia made herself a room in the wagon. Glarlauk had easily pushed it to the side of his cave where it sat on splintered axes. The woman unrolled the carpets and used them as a bedroll, sleeping soundly on the thick patterned fabric. The dragon's eyes lit up and would change colors into a light green (his expression of pleasure and happiness) whenever Ilayilia wore a different dress. The blue dress was still his favorite, but there was also a red gown with emeralds, a silver gown with sapphires, and a purple gown with amethysts.
Ilayilia found a total of five sewing kits among the second chest and with these she altered the dresses (all of which were just a little too large for her in some areas) and made a thick cloak out of the extra fabric.
In return, Ilayilia would sing for Glarlauk and the dragon would sit perfectly still to listen. He never again demanded she sing for him, nor did he forget to thank her when she did sing.
Over the weeks, Glarlauk and Ilayilia found that a certain level of trust had developed between the two of them, if not mutual fondness. The woman came to realize that Glarlauk was actually very tender, if not a little vain and spoiled. He would search far and wide to bring her "human food". Conversely, Glarlauk grew to feel protective and concerned for his latest treasure. She was so very frail and small compared to him, but possessed a fierce attitude and stubborn disposition.
One morning, when Ilayilia thought that Glarlauk was sleeping, she went out to the ledge and sat with her legs dangling over its side. A warm breeze stirred the trees below and a little bluebird swooped through it. Summer had come close on the heels of a chilly spring. Watching the little bluebird, Ilayilia began to compose a song of her own and sing to the bird.
"Little bird that flies so high, please come down to me
Little bird that flies so high, tell me what you see.
Do you see the mountains tall?
Do you see the waterfall?
Or do you see my own true love
From your perch high above?
I do see the mountains tall
And I see the waterfall
But I see not your own true love
From my perch high above.
Little bird that flies so high, tell me what you see
Little bird that flies so high, have you seen my baby?
Did you see the river running?
Did you see the fox so cunning?
Or did you see my small baby
Who was taken from me?
I saw the river running
I saw the fox so cunning
And as I flew over this land
I saw a handsome man
He had hair as dark as the black night
And eyes of brightest blue
My fair maiden I tell you right
He looked a lot like you."
"Did you make that up?" Glarlauk asked softly. Ilayilia started, for she hadn't realized the dragon had woken. The dragon tended to sleep for many hours, waking only to hunt, much like a cat.
"Yes," the woman answered, turning to look back over the distant hills of Brethil.
"Do you... miss them?"
"Don't you have a family?" Ilayilia sighed.
"I don't know them," Glarlauk answered, crawling out onto the ledge and lying beside her. Ilayilia hesitated, then leant against the dragon's side. He was warm and his scales were hard, but Glarlauk was a comforting presence.
"Wasn't your mother there when you hatched?"
"No," Glarlauk told her. "But I was born into the very cave. Dragons are fewer now, fewer than they once were. They have been killed off."
"By heros?" Ilayilia asked, remembering the Bane of Beleriand.
"I don't think of them as such," Glarlauk snorted. The woman smiled and raised a hand to hesitantly pet the dragon's huge cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them they were like molten gold (meaning the dragon was calm and content). "Some were killed by Men, yes, like Smaug the Golden who lived in the Land of the Rising Sun. Some were killed by rival dragons."
"I am sorry," she told Glarlauk, and of course it was the truth for not even she could lie with the Griffin Tunic nearby.
"Please, tell me about your family," Glarlauk requested, closing his eye as Ilayilia stroked the scales underneath it.
So Ilayilia began with the story of Calenor and told the dragon of her family. Of the capture and taming of Uricon the Merka Fea. Of the tragic deaths of Ephrin and Ethrin, her uncles, while they were riding on a drive. And finally she told him of her father who had wasted away and the mystery of her brother's death.
"You say the Elves would know of him?" Glarlauk asked, his eyes a dark indigo. Ilayilia could identify the dragon's mood based on his eyes most of the time, but this purplish blue was new.
"Well, they might," she corrected him. "But I suppose I will never know." Glarlauk went quiet, and he was very silent for the next few hours, speaking rarely and in short sentences.
