A/N

I do not own the Last Dragon Chronicles or anything associated with it.

Okay, that's out of the way. Well, this series is what inspired me to begin writing so many years ago. It's only fitting I try to write a fanfic for it, right?

"I've never seen snow. How do you all deal with this?" Aspen asked, shivering. "And how do you all deal with the cold all the time? This is miserable."

"Just get used to it, I guess," said Natasha, shrugging. "You will too."

"At this rate, maybe. I don't want to though."

"It's not even that bad, Aspen. This barely counts as snowfall. Wait until a real storm hits."

Natasha was driving Aspen north to their destination when her car broke down just outside of some small community, just as they were looking for a place to eat. When they abandoned the car in search of a mechanic, snow began to fall, large wet clumps that stuck to their hair and painted the ground a clean white.

"Scrubbley, how quaint," Aspen said, reading the sign ahead. "I hope there is a mechanic here."

"Or someone who knows where to find one."

"That too. But I don't want to walk anymore in this weather. My hands are cold, my body is shivering. I miss Florida. I miss the warmth."

"I don't. It's too hot there. Massachusetts is much more to my liking."

Aspen nearly gave Natasha a little shove but thought better of it. Natasha was being generous enough to drive her up north to visit relatives. Yes, she would visit some of her own family too, making the trip worth it for both of them. They were good friends who had known each other since high school. But Natasha did not have to bring her along and Aspen did not want to burden or bother her.

Too bad things came together near the start of winter. Aspen shook her head, wondering why her family did not come down south like normal for this time of year.

They walked for a while, looking for a place that either fixed cars or had any sort of relevant information. Not far from the entrance of town, the two women walked into a small grocery store that looked to be owned and run by a family. It was no town hall or information center, but in a small town, anyone was capable of helping. And they were still hungry and neither had seen a restaurant yet.

"Hello, welcome," called a man just as they walked inside. "Let me know if you need help."

"Thanks," Natasha said. "Actually, my car broke down a mile away from here and I was wondering if you could help us find a mechanic."

The older man crossed his arms and looked in the distance, eyes unfocused. "Can't say if we have one willing to work on Sunday. A small town this is. Might be better off walking to Main Street and visiting the library. They'll have a phone book or two that might help you."

"Thank you," Natasha said, nodding. "Where is Main Street?"

The man gave her the directions, but Aspen was not quite listening. She was getting really hungry looking at all of the food and nearby she found a couple of prepackaged sandwiches. It was a grocery store after all.

"I'll buy two of those," she said after they finished, pointing at the roast beef and provolone sandwiches. "Thanks for pointing us in the right direction."

"My pleasure. Let me ring you up. You can eat here if you'd like. Weather looks yucky."

Aspen followed the man to the register and paid for the sandwiches. After pocketing the change, she handed one to Natasha. In one corner of the store, a small table with three chairs sat empty, ready for some passerby to relax and have a meal. "You go to the library. I think I'll check some of the stores on Main Street. I'll get you something."

"Oh, you don't have to get me anything. The sandwich is enough."

Aspen smiled. "We'll see."

"No really, my car broke putting us into this situation. I should be getting something for you instead."

Both ladies laughed. "Oh, you're funny. I still haven't properly thanked you for taking me along. I planned to buy you something once we arrived in Maine."

"Oh stop worrying about it," Natasha said, shaking her head and waving her hand. It was clear she was getting tired of Aspen thanking her at every moment, though in a good way. "Worry about eating that sandwich so we can leave quicker."

"You bet," Aspen said, taking a big bite.

"Wait, I thought you said you didn't want to walk anymore in this weather," Natasha said suddenly. Her sandwich was inches away from her mouth.

Taking time to chew and swallow, for it would not do to choke in front of her friend, Aspen said, "I don't want to walk around looking for a mechanic. But I might convince myself if I get to do a little gift shopping. I'm sure all of these stores have heating."

The other woman smiled, and they continued to eat.

Aspen walked slowly on the snow-covered sidewalks, unsure if ice had coated the pavement yet. Clumps of snow sat around and a few spots were shiny, either from ice or melted snow, she did not know. Not many people roamed the streets, but the few who did had warm smiles and sometimes greeted her. A small-town welcome, as it were, and it was enough for her to power through the cold in search of interesting stores to pass the time in.

Briefly, she walked through a clothing shop and purchased a winter vest and some mittens. Thick wool mittens dyed sky blue that felt weird, as she had never worn mittens, and a white puffy vest that fit perfectly over her coat. Those alone made the chill outdoors more bearable. Mentally, she made a note of the store in case Natasha wanted to shop there. The prices were good, too, and the joyful shopkeeper only needed two minutes to make Aspen feel like she was at home.

Feeling warmer from proper clothing, she knew that she had grossly underprepared for winter in the north. That was something she would have to remedy completely once she visited her family. Surely someone had a spare coat to lend to her, or offer guidance.

As she continued, Aspen noticed a tiny looking shop between a salon and a computer store. The sign read "The Healing Touch." That did not catch her interest as much as the items she could see through the window: stones, jewelry, books, and incense. And much more, for such a small shop, but most of the items appeared small.

Natasha loved crystals. This looked like as good of a place as any to search for a thank you gift. Plus the place just looked interesting, and warm. Aspen already needed another break from the chill.

The door had only just closed behind Aspen when a woman's voice called out, "Hello!" No one else was in the room, but she could see a staircase and a bamboo curtain closing off a back area, where the voice sounded like it came from. The partition was behind a glass display case holding several beautifully sculpted clay dragons. Another sat on the case, standing more as an authority than the ones below it. That one both intrigued her and made her nervous. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but its eyes looked like they were following her movements. A ceramic guard dragon, though that did not seem right.

"Hello!" Aspen finally called back to the shopkeeper. Then she approached the crystal shelf. Natasha's favorite color was green and there were many choices. Green quartz and fluorite spear pendants, raw chunks of green calcite, tumbled cloudy aventurine stones, and earrings featuring beautifully cut stones of many types.

Her eyes also caught sight of the many blue varieties, as that was her favorite color. But for now, she ignored them.

"Can I help you?" asked the shopkeeper, a woman. Aspen looked and saw she had appeared behind the display case, not quite a young woman but not older yet. Someone you would expect to like the kinds of things in this shop and know what she is selling. Behind her, the strips of the bamboo partition swayed.

"Just looking," Aspen responded. "My friend's car broke down nearby and while she looks for a mechanic, I'm shopping around. I'm gonna get her a present for being nice enough to deal with me."

"Let me know if you need anything," the woman said. Aspen smiled in her direction as the woman returned to the back room. Then she frowned.

The dragon on the display case had disappeared. The shopkeeper's hands had been empty. Unless her memory had gone screwy, Aspen did not think she even saw the dragon when speaking.

Must have zoned out. Maybe she put it away while I was looking at the crystals. No big deal.

While not touching anything, she deliberated over what to get, if anything. None of the prices seemed outrageous, and Natasha would love a rock of some sort, but without the kind of knowledge that the shopkeeper likely had, or even what Natasha had, she was at a loss as to what specifically to pick out.

But of course, she could ask for help. And failing that, the green agate stones did look very interesting with their banding and their variations. Perhaps that might be an option.

While waiting for the shopkeeper to return from the back room, she looked around at the other merchandise. Yet her mind kept thinking back to the dragon on the counter. The one that was taken away. It must have been. Dragons are not real. Least of all clay sculptures of them. There was a perfectly plausible explanation and she should just forget about it.

Why was she still thinking about it?

Inexplicably drawn to the thought, Aspen walked over to the display counter housing several of the sculptures. Like the stones she had been looking at, the sculptures were tinted differing shades of green, artfully glazed so that each scale had its own gradient. Most stood on two legs, not a common depiction of their kind in various media. While the makings for a western dragon could be seen in their features, Aspen could not say for sure what inspiration the artist used to make them.

But they were green, Natasha's favorite color. If Natasha was not so afraid of lizards Aspen might choose instead to buy one as the gift she was seeking. Something more personal and unique. But alas, one of these sculptures would not be appreciated.

Perhaps she could buy one for herself. Looking at the prices, she had enough to buy one and get something for Natasha. Aspen would have to think about it.

"Interested in a dragon?" the shopkeeper said, appearing again.

"They look gorgeous and I have always been fascinated by dragons," Aspen said. "But my friend doesn't even like all the little lizards we have around at home, so I doubt these would make a good gift for her."

"Ah, I see. Do you have any ideas for your friend? Maybe I can help. My name's Zanna, by the way."

"My name's Aspen. Yeah, she likes rocks and crystals and the like, preferably green. I know little about that stuff though. The agates look cool, I remember her saying something about banded rocks being one of her favorites."

Zanna walked out from behind the counter and over to the shelf that Aspen had previously been looking at. She followed, looking at the merchandise.

"Agates are popular because of their banding. You don't see that in jewelry stones, or in most stones really. Is your friend into meditation or using crystals for healing? I would be able to direct you towards specific stones if so."

Aspen shook her head. "No, she just collects various rocks for display. At least, as far as I know. She has other banded agates I think, but brown or something."

The shopkeeper grabbed one little chunk with an outer rocky crust. One half to a specimen that had been cut cleanly in half. The bands had a mossy green look except near the crust, where it was nearly colorless. A flat bottom had been carved to display the polished surface "Casual collectors really like these. This one and others have been dyed to look this vibrant."

"Oh, that's cool. I think I'll get that."

"Sure thing. Anything else? Something for yourself?"

Aspen shook her head and dug out some money from her wallet as Zanna wrapped the stone in paper and bagged it. The register being near the display case spiked Aspen's interest in the dragons again. It was a feeling she could not figure out and she did not know where the persistent interest came from.

"Who made the dragons?" she finally asked while handing over the money.

"A local artist. They're quite popular around here."

"What are they modeled after?"

"Pardon?"

Aspen grabbed the bagged stone and the receipt. "I don't recognize any known dragon in them. At least, any of the dragons I have seen in various types of fiction. Is this a design made by the artist, or is there other inspiration I'm not aware of?"

"Oh, made by the artist. She makes lots of dragons, each often having a little theme. She names each design too. If something inspired her initially, I am not aware of it."

"I see. They are unique. Earlier there was one on the counter and then it disappeared. It seemed to have a different… oh I don't know, I guess it had a different feel to it, but you must have placed it somewhere else. None of these match that one. Felt like it was a guard or something."

Zanna looked back to the closed door. "That's my dragon. Her name is Gretel, and she is a sort of mascot for the store. I imagine her to be more of a potions dragon in part because of the tinctures I sell here. Having her on the counter helps to sell the other sculptures too. I moved her because once you leave, I was going to clean the case."

Not even a single fingerprint could be found, Aspen mentally noted, but she did not point that out. Stores needed to stay as clean as possible.

"Gretel's eyes seemed to move when she was on display. If you can, tell the artist that they must have some serious talent. Had to have been the light shifting as I moved."

"You weren't freaked out by the sight?"

"Uh, it felt weird. Okay, for a moment I was a tad nervous. But it was just a clay sculpture, nothing more. Plus it was a dragon and dragons are cool."

Zanna reached into the back of the case and pulled out one of the sculptures. She set it on the counter for closer inspection. "Many people believe dragons are guardians of the earth. Making these out of clay, rather than other mediums, is sort of symbolic. Clay needs fire, and so do dragons."

The tag tied to the dragon was turned in such a way that Aspen could not read what was printed. It may have been nothing more than a price though. So she looked at its eyes. Deep green, kind-looking, but not looking at her. The eyes faced the same way as the dragon's head. Unlike Gretel's.

"I don't have any sort of belief," Aspen said, scratching the back of her neck. "I like looking at pictures and stuff, and reading stories that have dragons, but nothing beyond that."

"What sorts of dragons do you like?"

"Powerful, intelligent, and kind," she said without hesitation. "Not tamed beasts, not village razing monsters. Western style dragons look better to me than the eastern style, but the eastern style more often has the kinds of ideals associated with them that I like."

Oh, what she would give to live in fantasy worlds where dragons flew as the rulers of the skies, bringers of justice, and guardians. To befriend a dragon, not because they would make for a fine mount or giver of strange powers but as a true friend one can rely on and where both would have mutual respect for each other. Even if those dragons were the size of these clay sculptures, no bigger than a cat, it would still be wonderful.

Ack, all these dragons have distracted me.

"That's cool. So many people think dragons just want to kill and destroy things. That couldn't be far from the truth, as far as I'm concerned," said Zanna. "Glad to meet someone who likes the same kind of dragons. A lot of people think differently."

"I agree. Anyway, it's been a while. I ought to get going. Hopefully, my friend has some news about her car."

Zanna put the clay dragon away and smiled. "Good luck to both of you."

"Thanks."

The moment Aspen was out of sight, Zanna returned to the preparation room where Gretel stood on a counter, nervously organizing flowers.

"All clear. I'm listening. Now explain why you flew when there was a customer present."

Gretel shuffled her wings. "She had more auma in her than normal," the dragon hurred.

"Is she a sibyl?"

The dragon shook her head. "She felt more like Liz and Lucy, only fainter."

"Like Guinevere?"

"Not exact. But there is dragon in her. Very faint."

"Another descendant of Gwendolen?"

The potions dragon shook her head.

"Fain?"

Another shake.

Zanna sighed with relief and nodded. That might explain why Aspen noticed Gretel's eyes moving. She would have to ask Liz about who else in the world might be descended from Guinevere. She and Lucy might be the purest descendants, but that did not mean they were the only ones. Then again, Liz had never given any sort of indication that others out there were like her and Lucy.

"Next time, don't fly when you see someone with an unusual auma. Let me know after they leave. We don't want flying clay dragons to become common knowledge."

Gretel let out a smoke ring and nodded.

"I mean it. Just because someone has dragon in them doesn't mean they won't freak out if they see a real dragon."

Another smoke ring, but the potions dragon nodded. With that matter settled, Zanna continued with taking inventory.

Zanna was reorganizing a tray of jewelry when the door opened for her next customer. Only the person who walked in was now a new customer. Aspen had returned.

"Welcome back. Did your friend enjoy the agate?" Zanna asked, curious.

Aspen smiled and nodded. "She hasn't seen it, but when I described it to her on the phone, she squealed with delight. It's perfect."

"Glad to hear. Unfortunately, I don't have any others like that right now."

The other woman rubbed her hands together. "Oh, oh well. Actually, I came back to look at the dragons again."

Zanna nodded silently. Armed with what little knowledge Gretel gleaned from earlier, this conversation might stray down some interesting paths.

"Any in particular?"

The customer shook her head. "No, the only one that really stood out to me was yours. Obviously not for sale." The woman pointed at Gretel, back on the display case. "I'll have to think about these. Unless you have any blue ones around?"

Zanna shook her head. Save for the turquoise highlights that most of the dragons had, the only non-green ones were the special dragons Golly and Groyne. Of course, they would not be for sale either, and both were back at the house anyway.

"Hmm. Mind if I look around for a bit while I think?"

"Go right ahead. If I may ask, did your friend get her car fixed?"

Aspen bit her lip. "Well, apparently the mechanic can't get the right part until tomorrow. She's staying at a hotel over there while I'll have to find lodging here. Unless I want to walk several miles in this weather to meet her. Which… really, I don't, and she understands. Today's the first time I've seen snow."

Zanna did not continue that conversation just yet. As Aspen walked around, Zanna studied her through glances as she continued her work. Brown hair, but with traces of the bright red so prominent on Liz and Lucy. Blue eyes instead of green. Unusual traits in someone who might have traces of Gawain and Guinevere in them.

And an obvious dislike for the cold. All dragons, even the clay ones Elizabeth made, loved snow and the cold.

Dragon or not, here is a paying customer who has a need, and if she could help while stumbling upon what made Aspen special, all the better. But she had to ask permission first.

"Pardon me, I have to make a call. I'll be upstairs, okay?"

"Of course. It's your store. I promise not to touch anything."

Zanna nodded to Aspen, then to Gretel on the display counter, then she made her way to her consultation room on the second floor. From there, she made what promised to be an unusual call.

Two rings. "Hello?"

"Hey, Liz, I have a question."

"Sure."

"There is a customer here who needs a place to stay for the night. Her friend is in another town with a broken car. I was wondering if we could make room for her at the house. It's just for one night."

"Zanna, I would love to, but I'm not so sure it's a good idea. Not with Lexie and Bonnington and the dragons-"

"Listen, Liz. Gretel thinks she might be some distant descendant of Guinevere or something. She felt a hint of dragon in this woman, and the woman even saw Gretel's eyes move slightly. She is clueless, but she might be open to the idea of dragons and is very intrigued by them, at least from the conversation we had. Right now she's thinking about buying one of the ones for sale."

A long pause. In the background, she could hear the tall tale signs of a child at play, and it made her smile.

"And what do you think bringing her to the house will do?" Liz finally asked.

"Nothing, probably. Hopefully. She has no place to spend the night. Do you know of other descendants of Guinevere?"

"No. You'd have to ask Gwilanna; she would know."

Zanna shook her head. That was never going to happen. The sibyl probably died in the Arctic that same day that… She cut off that train of thought. "Maybe by having the other dragons near her, maybe… I guess it doesn't matter if there are others slightly like you."

"It does, or you wouldn't suggest helping her. This house is not some hotel for anyone."

Thinking for a moment, Zanna replied, "if she does have something of Gawain or Guinevere in her, it could manifest in a way that could make her a target for Gwilanna if she still lives, or other sibyls and the Fain. Or she may reveal the dragons to the wider world without quite knowing what she is doing."

"A very good point. Are you sure she can keep everything a secret if we reveal anything to her?"

Zanna had no answer for that. Not one that Liz would accept. "Gretel can make a potion if she gets out of hand."

"No, I forbid that."

"Then… we don't have to reveal anything."

"Sometimes it's not our choice."

Zanna sighed. "I suppose everything with David showed that."

Liz was quiet for a minute. "Which of the dragons is she most interested in."

"Liz, does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Well, she seems most interested in Gretel. Felt something about her besides seeing Gretel's eyes move. None of the others seemed the most interesting to her."

A sharp intake in breath. "What did she say about seeing Gretel's movements?"

"That it felt weird, and for a moment she said she was nervous, but decided it was just a trick of the light.

"And you are intent on helping her out, at least to be a good samaritan? Do you think it's worth the risk?"

"I do. I'm not asking this just to study her or anything. Some good might come to her if she hears even a tidbit."

"Then… I'll allow it. You'll need to keep Alexa away from her as much as possible. If anyone's going to accidentally spill the beans, so to speak, it will be her, though she means well. I'll keep Bonnington out in the yard too."

"Thank you. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"If… if she decides she doesn't like any of the dragons for sale, would you be able to make one for her? A regular one, not special."

"I can't just make and kiln one in a few hours. But I'll see what I can do. Perhaps one of the ones in the den will be to her liking."

"Good. See you later."

"Goodbye, see you later."

Zanna hung up the phone and took a deep breath. What had she gotten herself into?

"Sorry for the wait," Zanna said, apologizing as she reentered the shop.

"No problem. I've been looking at the dragons, and for some reason, none stand out to me. I'd like to buy one, but I can't make up my mind. And I need to get going soon to find a hotel."

"You can come stay with me," Zanna said.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "For free. I live with the artist who makes these dragons so you might find one you like, or maybe she can make you one."

"You live with the artist?" Aspen asked with a shocked voice. "You never mentioned that earlier. Wait, you seemed to know the artist well. I guess I shouldn't expect you to talk about your private life with a stranger."

Zanna smiled. "I'll be waiting for you after I close. I don't live far from here. Just be prepared to see a bunch more clay dragons."

Aspen smiled back. "Oh thank you."