"Well...? What did you think of Astrix?" Glenn asked, unable to contain a wide grin as he looked to the mage as they walked together through the castle halls, studying Danathius's face. Idly, the other man just tilted his head a bit in mild confusion.

"What did I think of who...?" he asked the excitable young man before him. Glenn huffed, crossing his arms.

"The King! Lord Igmas's son?! The giant red dragon we just met with!" Glenn exclaimed waving his arms about in a typical, animated fashion.

"Not ringing any bells..." The mage says with a half frown, though he could hardly keep up the act when he saw Glenn looking aghast. Danathius chuckled softly, shaking his head. "He seems like a fine monarch. A bit soft spoken, but hardly unheard of for a fledgling king. Very much like his father in stature, if not quite in charisma yet. But I imagine time will help him find his legs." In truth, Danathius could not stop staring at the great red. His scales glistened the same way as Kherrox's had... Kherrox... The draygas barbarian had been dead for a long while now. He had died of old age, just as wished, leaving Danathius behind. With the mage's last connection to the world gone, he retreated, became a recluse and rarely ventured out of his laboratory.

"Hee, yeah. They do have a lot of similarities. But King Astrix has been working very hard to make the kingdom of Firaak a better place for humans and dragons alike. He's pretty amazing, if you ask me..." Glenn leads.

"Oh ho? You sound like you're smitten with him. How scandalous it would be if Igmas's most loyal servant abandonned him to pledge loyalty to his son. Tsk, Glenn, tsk." Danathius said, waggling a finger at the lad, teasing the easily riled fellow. Indeed, Glenn huffs some, giving a little stomp of his sandal on the marble walkway. Glenn reacted in a similar fashion to how Danathius did whenever Kherrox would tease him, and a long-forgotten pang in his heart resurfaced made his chest grow tight.

"No, you doofus! Astrix is amazing, but Igmas will always be my king. But Astrix could use someone with your experience and magic you know... changing the way an entire kingdom operates is going to be a lot of work. Important work." Glenn suggests, arching his brow as he folded his hands behind his back, smirking a bit as he leaned closer to the mage. "Besides, you have to admit, his new highness is quite a handsome dragon, right...?" Glenn asked, giving a grin. The question seemed to fluster the mage who had already been giving consideration to the thought of offering his aid to the new monarch in a show of goodwill.

"Ahah, Glenn! You, uh... you aren't wrong. But that's hardly of relev-" Danathius began before Glenn quickly interrupted.

"That's great! I'll be certain to have his advisors schedule a private meeting. Over dinner, nothing too formal. Though you should probably fancy your clothes and hair first." Glenn hmms, looking the mage over.

"Oh Glenn..." Danathius chuckled, shaking his head, amused at the excitable servant to the previous king. He saw right through what Glenn was plotting, but all the same, dinner didn't sound terrible... But could he go through with it? He had half a mind of just teleporting away: no one would be able to stop him!

"Danathius, stop being an idiot. You deserve to be happy," Kherrox's voice echoed in his mind. The mage was suddenly reminded of the last conversation he had with his former partner.

"I'll never love again," Danathius had told Kherrox, "you were perfect, and I don't want to betray you."

"Heh," Kherrox had laughed, and then gasped as his body began to slowly shut down, "were I in your shoes, I'd be out lookin' for a new lover the moment you died. I hated being alone, and I know you'll hate it too."

"But...but what about..." Danathius had started to protest, but the eldery barbarian cut him off.

"But nothin'," Kherrox wheezed, "what we had, you'll remember as long as you live. Honor and cherish me by living your life to your fullest, always. When you finally die, I expect you to bring some handsome oros with you. Otherwise, I'll be pissed." The draygas had smiled, eyes twinkling with delight before his smile faltered, and the light in Kherrox's eyes began to fade...

Danathius blinked, shaking the memory out of his mind's eye and letting it get buried within his subconscious again. Kherrox was right -- he had been alone too long, and it had taken its toll on him. He had done his former lover a disservice, and now it was time to amend that mistake. The mage knew he could stand to open his heart up again...

---

Sooooooooo  cainhiryu was a sneaky bastard and bought me some commissions behind my back! Scandalous! This is the last one he bought me, and it features his human, Glenn, convincing Danathius to hook up with Astrix. I know it's boring human art, but this scene holds a special place in my heart, and it was something that  cainhiryu and I had written a few years ago. I'm super happy and thrilled to see this memory given form. <3

This commission was done by the talented  soft-claspers, who has an amazing and lovely style. I absolutely adore the way both Glenn and Danathius turned out in this. <3 Please be sure to visit their page and give them your love and support! They definitely deserve it!

Also be sure to check out  cainhiryu's page if you like humans and dragons mingling, and the consequences of edible little critters hanging around big dragons!

Artwork ©  soft-claspers
Glenn ©  cainhiryu
Danathius © Me