"I don't mind that you're weak, or small… I love you as you are."
The voice of Nifl resonated across Fafnir's mind.
Two hundred years ago was the day Fafnir's feelings were accepted by Nifl, a glorious dragoness of Ice, the progenitor of all ice dragons.
In all her life, she was the most loneliest of all the Progenitors. She was the most mysterious, and also, the most silent.
Through her entire life, she saw her family die one after the other, shedding tears of sadness.
As one of the few Progenitors that were still alive, she felt incredible sorrow each time she remembered all her friends and family being dead…
However, her loneliness changed one day, when he showed up, a small black dragon, looking for someone, her.
Fafnir had always admired her, Nifl. For some reason, since he was but a dragon pup, he admired the tales of the cold and icy dragoness progenitor. The ruler of ice had something that attracted him.
Through his entire life he grew and fought to survive and evolve further, growing bigger and stronger. Until one day, he flew across the skies, reaching Niflheim, and finding her desolate, sleeping inside the depths of the ground, inside an ice cave, alone.
"Who… are you?"
Nifl's voice spoke to Fafnir back then, but the moment he saw her, he suddenly… fell completely paralyzed.
"A-Ah…"
Fafnir couldn't muster a word!
"Eh? Hello?"
Nifl tried to talk to him more and more, but Fafnir looked like an ice statue back then. Completely paralyzed from the head to his toes.
"Are you scared?" Nifl wondered, suddenly feeling slightly sad. "You should go… Whatever you're seeking, I am sure it is not here, young dragon."
"…No!"
Fafnir suddenly mustered his words, as he spoke boldly.
"I want you, Nifl!"
"Eh?!"
Nifl felt shocked, a dragon who was younger than her by several thousands of years, a son of one of her sisters, suddenly wanted her as his mate?!
"W-What are you talking about? I am so old… I am sure there might be others female dragons alive out there, why don't you look for them?" She asked.
"I want you… Because you captivate me!" Said Fafnir, smacking the ground, his paralysis quickly fading away.
"C-Captivate?!" Nifl felt more and more flustered. Not in her entire life had anybody found her captivating.
"I'm sorry if this was sudden! I'll leave now!" Said Fafnir. "I'll never bother you again, I apologize!"
At the end, he cowardly turned his tail and tried to run away, immediately knowing he would be rejected.
"W-Wait!"
However, Nifl stopped him back then.
She didn't wanted this to end right here…
Somehow, within her own heart, she wanted something different for herself.
Nifl wanted to know if her icy heart could ever feel the warmth of love.
"Hm?!" Fafnir felt shocked.
"Stay… I don't think I can accept just now. I… have many things to think about. But for now, why don't you live with me for a couple of years? We can know each other better." Nifl said gently.
Her eyes were so beautiful, like two enormous sapphires. Fafnir was so captivated by her gentleness that he immediately agreed.
"S-Sure thing!"
In those years, both got to know each other more and more… Nifl learned that Fafnir was in fact a very cowardly dragon that took Pride and Greed as his major Divinities for some reason. He was an eccentric dragon that was often disliked by his peers due to his nature.
However, he was also surprisingly intelligent and knew about dwarf and human culture in detail, explaining to her how they made golems, and many other interesting things. Fafnir was Nifl's connection to the outside world.
And Fafnir learned about Nifl, she was always scared. After having lost everyone, she felt so desolate and sad that she escaped to the depths of Niflheim, alone and desolated. She didn't wanted to lose anymore, so she decided to not talk with anybody, and to encompass herself in a cocoon of ice.
Both found that each other were very similar, they hated the outside world despite being dragons, and wanted to hole themselves alone, without wanting to interact, mostly because they were scared of losing those they loved, scared of being killed, and scared of the suffering of the world itself…
However, in each other, they found the strength to change. Little by little, they began to walk outside their comfort zones, until Nifl finally left the caves she had been sleeping for thousands of years and traveled the outside world with him for a year.
Seeing the wonders of a living world she had protected made her smile again, as Fafnir felt happy by seeing her smile, and he grew bolder, trying to make up for her weaknesses, he tried to be adventurous, something he truly wasn't, and he tried to be strong and prideful, so he could make her feel like there was always someone for her strong enough to take on anything.
And one day, as both of them watched a beautiful aurora borealis illuminate the night sky of Niflheim with beautiful colors, Nifl smiled.
"Thank you for everything, Fafnir…" She said.
"Ah? Nifl…?" Asked Fafnir, as she suddenly moved towards him and rubbed her nose over his own.
"I really do love you after all." She said with a smile.
"Ah…" Fafnir felt flustered, he should had been the one to say that first. "I… I do love you as well."
The two smiled a bit, as they flew back to Nifl's nest, and their love was consummated through various nights. Eventually, an egg was laid by Nifl, to the surprise of both.
"An egg?!" Fafnir back then was incredibly happy.
"It seems that our adventures have yet to end, dear." Nifl said. "I wonder how this child will be…"
Nifl who had regained the light of life back into her beautiful eyes was all Fafnir needed to smile and act bravely.
For that beautiful smile…
And for his beloved son…
The cowardly dragon couldn't let himself be intimidated by the might of the strong.
