She lay in the morning sunshine soaking up the heat of the day. The world looked so different here, it constantly amazed her. She had never been this far away from her river, her life source. She rolled to her stomach and tucked her hands under her head, her wings spread out over her in a soft shield of colours that caught the sunlight and filled the air around her. She loved to watch the tones dance over each other as she gently fluttered her wings. Rarely did she have time like this, time when she could just relax and not worry about the world around her. She knew she could make as much noise as she liked, she could make the sky glow with colours so bright that the world would sparkle. Nothing could hurt her here. Nothing would dare come near her, so she knew she could be as loud and as bright as she wished. Because she knew she could, she didn't feel any need to. She was content to lay here beside him and play gently by herself.

Her dragon was stretched out on his stomach beside her, watching over her protectively. He would not allow anything to hurt her. She had come to mean more to him than he had thought was possible. This tiny creature beside him had captured his heart with her ability to give and her love. He watched her as she luxuriated in the sunlight, amusing herself quietly. His throat thickened at the thought of the trust she placed within him. She was so small, he could so easily crush her, one sweep of his hand and she would cease to exist and yet she lay happily beside him. She knew how deeply he cherished her. She knew that he would protect her with everything he had. She knew she was his.

She glanced up at the giant beside her and saw him watching her. She smiled at him and the day seemed to brighten. She was not in the least self conscious with him and she let her eyes wander over him. She had never known anything living to be as big as he was. He almost filled the clearing in which they lay. She had thought he would be cold to touch and had been surprised when he was not. The scales that covered him made him look so hard and impenetrable but she knew they were just his cover, his body's way of defending himself against those that would see him gone. She knew that to others he looked fierce. She had seen them flee from him. They did not know him the way she did. He would never harm them, unless they threatened those who needed his protection.

She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, tucking her wings behind her. He delighted in her obvious happiness and his eyes sparkled, brilliantly blue. She saw his joy in her and she positively glowed. She had loved this dragon for so long, from the first time he had chosen to protect her she had loved him, but never had she loved him as much as she did now. She knew it was different between them now, she knew the day it had changed.

There had been nothing special about the day. He had come to see her as he had many other times and they had talked of the same things that they had shared many times before. Yet when it was time for him to leave, he seemed reluctant to go. He had held out his hand to her and she had climbed upon it without hesitation. He had carefully held her and taken her with him, home.

She had marvelled at his cave. It had not been dark and scary, as she had assumed it would be. It was a place of light and beauty. It sparkled and glistened with a thousand treasures that took her breath. He had let her go and she flew about the cave, flitting from treasure to treasure, each more beautiful than the last. He allowed her the freedom to explore at her own will, only occasionally pointing out something he really wanted her to see. She had come back to him often to share with him some jewel she had found. She had surprised him with the absolute pleasure she took in working out his favourite things. He felt his heart fill with love with every smile that crossed her face. Her happiness bubbled out of her in a series of giggles that infected him with their joy.

She noticed a shelf high in the wall and wondered what He would keep above all else. She glanced at him and he watched her calmly. She flew to the shelf, not sure what to expect. She landed softly and felt her body stiffen in surprise. Before her was a rose. Her rose. She had given it to him a year before, knowing that he would appreciate the love she had tended to it with. He had told her he would keep it for her but she had known that flowers die and that dragons did not have the most delicate of touches. She had known he would try to keep it as long as he could but in the end it would be gone.

It was perfect. She did not understand how it could still be perfect after all this time. It should have wilted away to nothing and yet it was still perfect. She looked at him in utter amazement.

'How?' she asked.

He shrugged. 'With love, I guess.'

She felt her love for him swell until it was too big to be kept inside her. Tears of happiness had welled up in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. She stepped off the shelf into the air and let her wings catch her. He saw the wall behind her come alive with her colours. She was unaware of how brightly she glowed but he could see and was astonished at how brilliantly she could shine.

She had gone to him, hiding her face in his neck as she cried with a happiness that she had never felt before. She knew then that she was connected to him in a way much deeper than friendship. She would be with him forever.

She sat quietly in the clearing watching him, remembering the times they had shared since that day, how he had filled her with His love again and again. All it took was his smile. Everything she had she used to make him smile. She had held nothing back from him. He knew her like no one had ever tried to know her and she loved him deeply for it.

She felt her love for him over power her again and she untangled her arms from her knees and rose with the help of her wings. She flew to Him and kissed his neck. She felt his breath catch and she purred against him.

She flitted around in front of him and found a soft clear place to stand. He growled softly in the back of his throat. She smiled up at him. Then she danced. She lost herself completely to the rhythm she had created in her head and he could hear the beat in each of her movements. She danced with all the joy and love she felt and he saw it all in every curve of her body. She gave him everything she was and all she had to give in the only way she knew she could. Her inhibitions made her even more beautiful to watch. He knew she was only this free with him.

She danced until he called to her to stop. She fell breathlessly to her knees and he smiled at her. She grinned up at him, satisfied that she had pleased him again. He rolled carefully onto his back and she quickly flew to him. She stretched herself out on his belly, over his heart and lay quietly with Him. His heartbeat thundered through her tiny form and she shuddered as each beat shook her core. Never was she so complete as when his pleasure had been in her.

She lay upon him until she heard the river call to her. She still could not stay away from her life source for long, no matter how she desired to stay with him. He knew of her reluctance to leave and gently swept her up into his hand. She found herself looking deeply into his eyes.

'We have tomorrow, little one. We have tomorrow and we have forever.' He smiled at her softly and she wrapped herself around his finger, her cheek pressed against the pad of his claw. He held her safely within his hand and flew her back. They arrived at her river with a speed that exhilarated her. His wings could carry him much faster than hers ever could and she loved being able to fly with him.

When he opened his hand she stood on his palm and pouted.

'I don't want to go.' She whined softly.

He looked at her, understanding her reluctance completely. He would always have her with him if he could.

'Look here you,' he growled at her, 'you have my love. You take it with you wherever you go. Go to your river, fill it with the joy you fill me with. Then tomorrow come back to me and fill me with your joy again.'

She flew from his hand to kiss his forehead then she pushed away from him into the sky. He watched as she flew in loops through the air, then tucked her wings behind her and dove towards her river. She entered the water without even making a splash.

He imagined her briefly moving through the water so smoothly that she almost wasn't there. In his mind's eye he could still see her shining before him as she danced. He smiled and stretched his own wings out behind him. Sometimes tomorrow seemed a long way away, even to him.