Beginnings
When the Dragon was younger, he would fly all manner of places simply because he could. These places included the Astral realm. One night as the Dragon was flying around a small girl caught his eye. She was sitting in a corner, sobbing. Now being a gentle Dragon, he became a small boy as he descended to where she was so as not to startle her. He approached her as a friend and put his arm on her shoulders and assured her that things would work out. You see, being that Dragons are magical creatures, he knew without a doubt that such was true. The girl was comforted, and the Dragon went on his way.
The girl was sobbing as her life had been turned all upside down. You see, when she was born her mother was quite young and unprepared to raise a child. The elders of the Village where the girl was born took her from her mother and placed her with a family who often took in such children. The girl stayed with this family for quite some time.
Now there was a young couple near to the Woodlands who were just starting their family. They had given birth to a baby boy and were looking forward to their future. An evil wind blew in that winter though, and took their baby boy from them while he was but an infant. His mother was so heart broken that she was unable to conceive another child. After a few years, the couple decided to find a child to adopt to fill the emptiness. They contacted the elders of the Woodlands to see if there was such a child.
Now the elders of the Woodlands and the elders of the Village communicated often, and it was decided that the young couple would adopt the little girl. Now this sounds like a happy ending sort of story, but the little girl had grown to love the family she was with. It was quite a shock to be taken from them, and placed with the couple being told “this is your mom and dad now”. The shock gave the little girl nightmares most nights, and it was during one of these that the Dragon saw her in the Astral and comforted her.
Many years passed without the Dragon thinking of the girl at all.
Now the Dragon decided to further his education, and chose the Woodlands as the place to do so. This choice was purely by chance, if you believe in such silliness. This was where the lovely young Witch cast her spell on him, all be it not on purpose.
Now when the Dragon was young, he lived nowhere near the Woodlands. In fact, he was quite on the other side of the world entirely. As the Dragon and the Witch became friends, the Dragon visited her at her parent’s home. What should he see while there, but a portrait of a little girl on the wall.
The portrait was done for a contest and won first place. It occupied a place of honor in their home for many years.
Yes, it was the little girl the Dragon comforted in the Astral realm so long ago. She later told him of the nightmares she had as a child and how they stopped the day the Dragon comforted her in the Astral realm.
You see, the story of the Dragon and the Witch began long before she caught his eye in the Woodlands that day.