Iris of House Domina

Iris walked a bit, then looked up at the grand place that was known as the Ring of Fire. Typical as a wanderer would, she sized up the place and thought about how it would be defended, who might be watching from what peak, and what kind of welcome she'd be getting when she got to the inhabitants.

It turned out that she was expected. Lani, apparently in command here, greeted her with a hidden grin and a welcoming gesture. "We've a place for you here," she stated.

"Well that clears that up," Iris muttered. "I don't want to pry, but is there anything I need to know about this place before I settle in? Do I have to make any plans or anything?"

"Oh, no, no." Lani assured her. "There will be some things you should read up on, though - I've been told that your dragons are a bit different from ours."

Lani showed Iris to the library, through the labs, and an assortment of other places where she felt Iris ought to know about. At last, though, she got to her dorm, and relaxed. She set her staff up so that it glowed softly, adding familiar light to the electric lighting already there.

To have the comforts of real civilization at a place like this, Iris grinned as she fell to sleep, that's very fine indeed.

***

Not long after her arrival, when a couple others who had gathered for this odd Spirit pair of clutches, the announcement went out that the eggs were glowing - and they would be hatching soon.

Iris' heart fluttered. This would be it! A great day! She wondered about the things she'd read. The Spirit dragons were healers, like herself able to do different kinds of magic but they concentrated on things which would help rather than harm. Like her, their defensive magics would aid people or creatures in distress.

Lani announced that they didn't quite know yet, if the Spirit hatchlings would even bond. Lucas had warned her too, that there was always the possibility that something would change or not quite go as predicted. So Iris stood eagerly waiting - even though a couple of the others were squirming and agitated with this news.

She hardly dared look at the beautiful phoenix who had come to bond, too. Iris knew that her own heart was good, sound and kind - but this creature was far beyond mortal reach.

Naturally, the phoenix bonded first! A number of hatchlings came from their glowing shells, as Iris and the others watched. Many different onlookers from various worlds had decided to attend, and applauded whenever a new hatchling came from its shell. The hatchlings either named themselves, or their mother would announce them, and it was shortly apparent that they did not require bonding, nor did they refuse it.

A cute cheetah-boy paired up with a mottled copper white, and then a few moments later the girl White Lily paired off with a lovely dragoness whom she found in the shell.

There were only a few eggs left on the small nests when one popped out of the nest and cracked open on impact. A lovely silvery-white with blue wingsails that had starry markings on them came away from the nests. She barely shook her head free of the sand that had gotten on it, and gave off a little chirrup and happily moved toward Iris.

"Iris, you are a paladin, and I will help you on your journeys. My name is Mistylia." She said, adding a chirp.

Iris helped brush the last of the sand from her dragon's head, and said, "you're beautiful," in a whisper.

"Thank you. So are you, and you do beautiful things."

Iris' heart filled with joy to hear her soul-friend say this. They left the sands with the others, though they heard later about a man from the stands bonding to another dragonet who had hatched almost alone.

***

Iris and Mistylia practiced daily, while the dragonet was growing. Her powers of healing were strong, and she learned that there were things beyond this world that would need cleansing. Things, and people.

"You like this man, Lucas," Mistylia commented one day, as Iris and she were packing up to move again.

"I do, and I want to fulfil my promise to him. We must go back there, now. And I think he'll be able to teach both of us more than we know now." Iris got serious, and turned to face her soul's partner. "But Mistylia, understand that we will be in danger. It's not just practice any more. He's got demons after him, and people who want to hurt him. I can't let that happen any longer."

"Then neither can I. Yet you still hold some fear of him, why is that?"

Iris didn't answer her friend immediately. The dragon could sense deep thoughts and emotions better than any person could, and of course was privy to things that even Iris denied in herself.

"He is still dangerous, to himself, to others. Sometimes I'd see him taking his anger out on things. I'm glad he decided to go outside and chop wood or dig or something." Iris sighed. "He could punch holes in solid stone, Mistylia, so I do worry."

"So can I!" Mistylia tittered, lashing her long tail. Iris rolled her eyes. The medium sized dragoness was much stronger than any man - including Lucas - but she was hardly a big burly type!

Story continued a bit, in Lucas' page.

Bonded at the Ring of Fire