It was, I thought, a peaceful evening. Starlight, Nightlight and Blue Moon were off doing what nocturnal dragons do. Glitter, Dark Phoenix and Dark Crystal were polishing their shiny bits. Night Imp, Sweet Tooth and Coral were happily comparing their lack of legs.
I settled down in my comfy Caretaker Cottage (newly refurbished, you know) for a quiet glass of dragon island cider.
Suddenly there were flames licking the door. Always a sign of trouble. These were BIG flames, so I assumed it had to be some of the senior boys.
Now, you see, Shadow has been dating Fireflower for at least the last six weeks. However, it has now come to light that Banshee has, in Shadow's opinion, been paying a little too much attention to the attractive young lady. Furthermore, Shadow's argument is the Glitter is a much more appropriate match for Banshee. The blue type in common, don't you know.
"Well, gentlemen", I suggest gently, "The decision really isn't yours to make, you know - this is up to Fireflower. If she is concerned, I am sure she will come and see me and so far, she hasn't".
Banshee tossed his long, unruly hair nonchalantly. "Firey and I are just good friends, Shadow - are you suggesting she can't have ANY male friends other than you? That's hardly an adult attitude and you are Epic now, you know!"
If it were possible, Shadow's complexion seemed even darker than normal. "I don't believe your intentions are as honourable as you make out, Banshee. Friends don't drop by unannounced at 10 pm at night."
Good grief, I thought to myself, I could get seriously singed furniture here in a minute.
"Gentlemen, how about we take this discussion outside, just to be safe. Flames and my decor are not a good mix."
We wandered out into the backyard, where only the odd Rushroom plant might suffer any sudden flame throwing. I'd grabbed my fire suit on the way out, just as a precaution. The guys would never intentionally hurt me, but flames are flames, after all.
I was rather puzzled as dragons don't usually partner for life, just a single breeding season. There are exceptions, but they are in the minority.
What, I wondered, was Fireflower's take on all this? Was she even aware there was this friction going on and if she was, what would her reaction be? Possessiveness is never a good trait, or was Shadow merely being protective? Banshee is a rather flamboyant character, after all, freshly released from some curse or other, so he is assimilating back into normal (whatever that is) dragon society. Maybe he is overstepping the mark a little.
I really wanted to avoid any duels at dawn for the fair maiden. Both looked fully recovered from the recent tournament, but one or other could still be weakened.
In the end, I sent them both on their way, promising I would speak to Fireflower myself to determine if she was at all concerned. In the meantime, they had to promise to remain civil to each other and no sky battles above the island!
Banshee looked a little too smug with the outcome to me.
They took off in different directions and I took a stroll down the hill to see General Crusader. He needed to be aware of any looming disturbances.
Little did I know General Crusader had also thrown his hat in the ring for Fireflower. This was becoming a little too much like "Days of Our Lives". Perhaps I needed to ban human realm TV from the island for a while.