Fox, Dragon and Elf (Part 1)
âLet me tell you this beforehand. I can tell you that Iâve never been willing to let you enter this place, but this is my sonâs wish, so Iâm in no position to speak. However, I need to fill you in on some things before you enter.â
Sylvanas stood to one side and checked her clothes. Because her clothes were formed from scales, it was inevitable she was covered in some dust after flying. She also checked to ensure her clothes werenât crooked. Vyvyan initially didnât mind, but they were close to the Imperial City of the North then. Vyvyan was not going to allow Sylvanas to fly into the city in her dragon form, so the four of them landed close outside. They could see Ling Yueâs home from their location.
Vyvyan watched Sylvanas, who had her head down fixing her clothes and paid her no heed. She was frustrated. She really wanted to throw Sylvanas outside; alas, she was worried that the dragon would rampage in her sonâs North if she got angry, especially since they were close to Ling Yueâs home. If Ling Yue was hurt, her son might be furious with her. As such, Vyvyan stayed patient and took in a deep breath. She irritably repeated herself.
Sylvanas raised her head again with a hint of frustration. Annoyed, she said, âSpeak, I shall listen.â
âForget it. My son will hate you and drive you back to the desert if you make a mistake anyway. Thatâs none of my business; or rather, thatâs what Iâd like to see.â
Vyvyan quickly spun around and walked off. Sylvanas blankly watched her from behind. She belittled Vyvyan, because of her pride and self-esteem as a dragon. However, when she was about to ignore her, she suddenly realised, âIf I ignore everything now, I might do something that makes my son unhappy. He may then kick me out, and drive me back to the desert⊠That means I will live as I did in the pastâŠAll alone, lying on the boulder, waiting for somebody to pass by. Meanwhile, this woman will be doing that with my sonâŠâ
âNo! Please⊠Please⊠tell me⊠What does my son like and dislike. PleaseâŠâ Sylvanas leapt over and tightly hugged Vyvyanâs arm, refusing to let go as she pleaded.
Sylvanas was a proud dragon just a moment ago, but she was akin to a puppy hugging Vyvyan. Sheâd basically wag her tail if she had to. There was no such thing as dignity when it came to her son! She had become a mother; she was no longer an ordinary woman. She could give up her life for her child, let alone her dignity. She could do anything for her son!
Vyvyanâs mouth crept up into a smile, thinking, âItâs difficult for me to defeat this dragon one on one, since her dragon scales are seriously annoying, but it appears that she canât match wits with me. If I use my wits, Iâll be able to order her around as a pet. Uhm, this dragon can be useful. I might be able to convince her to team up with me to take out Elizabeth later on.â
Compared to the dragon, Elizabeth was Vyvyanâs biggest concern. Always. Moreover, her sonâs feelings for Elizabeth changed. Perhaps it was because her son was always by her side, which resulted in his feelings for Elizabeth as a mother being faint. He started to develop feelings for Elizabeth, so Elizabeth was her biggest concern. She thought, âThat woman has always been trying to steal my lover from me, both in the past and again now. Maybe this dragon can test Elizabeth.â
Vyvyan revealed a spooky smile. She turned around to look at nervous Sylvanas. With a soft chuckle, she asked, âDidnât you not care?â
Sylvanas gave Vyvyan a pitiful look and emotionally said, âI was wrong⊠I am sorry⊠I will listen properly⊠I will listen properly! I really will listen properly! I really will, so pleaseâŠâ
Sylvanas was so nervous that she stopped speaking her own language and began to beg Vyvyan in the elven language, albeit stuttering. It was the first time Sylvanas sincerely pleaded anyone. Vyvyan felt accomplished at the sight of haughty Sylvanas pleading her. Vyvyan seemed as though she just came up with a new idea. She suddenly had the desire to tease Sylvanas.
âAll right, then. Firstly, you must never appear in the North in your dragon form, got it? Additionally, you must respect everybody in the palace, including maids. While Iâm at it, the most important thing is that this land belongs to my son, not you and not me. My point is, donât get involved with any of my sonâs business. If my son doesnât ask for your opinion, donât say anything, got it? One more thing. You must remember to use eating utensils when eating! Use. Eating, Utensils! We arenât in the desert. Weâre in the Imperial Palace here, so if your behaviour is unbecoming, my son will look bad!â
Truthfully, while Vyvyan said all of that, Sylvanas didnât understand much. She didnât understand politics and, subsequently, didnât understand what Vyvyan meant. At the same time, she had no idea what to do, either. With that said, she did understand some of it, fortunately, and that was to not embarrass her son. She was aware one couldnât let others insult their pride, so she, too, made up her resolve to avoid embarrassing her son. After all, she was his mother.
Sylvanas couldnât damage her sonâs pride and dignity, since she was his mother, but she didnât understand what Vyvyan was getting at. Nonetheless, seeing Vyvyanâs haughty expression deterred her from admitting that she didnât understand and be subjected to Vyvyanâs humiliation again. Thus, she nodded to indicate she understood.
Vyvyanâs gaze was filled with doubt and bewilderment. She had the impression Sylvanas didnât understand what just happened, but she was cognizant she couldnât clearly explain it, either. The dragon was oblivious to things and had no idea what she should do. Nevertheless, Vyvyan didnât intend to explain anything then, for she suddenly felt it wasnât necessarily a bad thing if Sylvanas wasnât aware of everything. As long as Sylvanas didnât understand anything, she couldnât disrupt her sonâs rule.
Although Sylvanas oblivious as to what to do, she was conscious of the fact she was ignorant. So, what should she do? She extended forth her hand and looked at it. She never used kitchen utensils before despite having lived for so long. There was no need for eating utensils in the desert. She just had to rip it apart and chow it down. Since she was suddenly thrust into a place where people used utensils, she was going to have to learn how to use them. âI think Iâll be fine just imitating them,â she thought.
Frankly, Vyvyan was still worried. She couldnât shake off the concern that Sylvanas dragon would cause trouble in the Imperial Palace. Sylvanas didnât appear to be the patient type. If she did something destructive to the palace out of anger, Vyvyan, herself, would also be held partially responsible. As such, she checked her surroundings then said, âForget it; forget it. Come here first. This is the home of one of my sonâs wives. For now, learn how to live from here, but you must know that this is where my sonâs wife lives, so you are not to get angry under any circumstance, are we clear?!â
Ling Yue blankly looked at the Sylvanas. Liu Yue hid behind her mom and vigilantly watched the side of the table. Vyvyan looked at the small fox with a smile. Vyvyan reached out to try and hug Liu Yue, but Liu Yue continued hiding behind her mom. Ling Yue gave Liu Yue a push, and then said, âGo on, Liu Yue, let your grandmother see you. I know you havenât met Grandmother before, but you will frequently see her from now. She is very gentle, so you donât need to be scared.â
âDaddyâŠâ called Liu Yue.
Liu Yue quivered when she looked at Vyvyan, but nonetheless, went over to her. Vyvyan gently picked her up when Liu Yue approached. Vyvyan then pinched Liu Yueâs small ears and, with a soft giggle, said, âDad will be back, Liu Yue. Dad is still alive. Dad will be back very soon.â
âDaddy! Daddy!â Liu Yue got excited upon hearing Vyvyan say that, so she then grabbed Vyvyanâs long ears, startling Liu Yue.
Elvesâ ears couldnât be touched at oneâs pleasure. Even Vera and Nona were unlikely to have tugged Vyvyanâs ears before. However, Vyvyan allowed Liu Yue to fiddle with her ears. She didnât get angry; instead, Vyvyan looked at her with a smile and affectionately stroked Liu Yueâs furry ears.
âAre you Grandmother, too?â Liu Yue hopped out of Vyvyanâs arms, and then ran over to Sylvanas.
Liu Yue stretched her hand out to Sylvanas with a smile. Sylvanas froze for a moment. Ling Yue hesitated for a moment then glanced over to Vyvyan. Ling Yue used her facial expression and gaze to be ask Vyvyan if she could let her daughter approach Sylvanas. Vyvyan wasnât sure, herself. It was unlikely Sylvanas held a child before, so Vyvyan wasnât sure if it would be dangerous for her to hold Liu Yue.
Sylvanas crouched down and gently picked up Liu Yue. Sylvanas looked more nervous than ever. She appeared as if she was holding her egg. She very carefully let Liu Yue sit on her arm. She didnât even dare to caress Liu Yueâs face, as she was afraid that her fingers would hurt the young girl.
Liu Yue scanned Sylvanas out of curiosity. She then touched Sylvanasâ ears. With a smile, she exclaimed, âThis grandmother doesnât have long ears. This grandmother doesnât have long ears! Mom, Mom, look, this Grandmother doesnât have ears! She doesnât have ears!â
âItâs all right; Itâs all right!â
Sylvanas warily looked at Liu Yue, but she smiled. She lowered her head to allow Liu Yue to play with her hair. Liu Yue cackled, but Sylvanasâ smile was far brighter than Liu Yueâs.