{SEASONAL THREAD} Kindness of Strangers

“Fascinating,” he muttered. An ice-breathing dragon. It just kept getting better!    Sugar seemed pleased with the change of food she was given, and Arthur grinned down to her, laughing as she began scampering up his pant leg. The noises she made were fucking adorable. If someone was to tell him that he would not only meet a dragon, but somehow befriend one the size of a cat by feeding it jerky… Well, he would have had them named mad. Hells, Merlin sure didn’t tell him this was in his future, so part of him was still waiting to awaken after one of the strangest dreams he had ever experienced.    If she wanted, Arthur lowered his hand next to her as a lift to his shoulder – otherwise, she was free to fly off or hop down or do whatever else she wished.    He raised his brows at Ronin with a casual nod, handing the staff over to the man. He doubled back to where the rows for planting began and dug his hand into the sack once more, beginning to drop just a few seeds with each step he took.    Northaven. Ronin wasn’t the first person Arthur had met from Northaven. Both Phoebe and Remi came from the same place, so he wondered how many of the others did as well. Was Northaven somehow magically linked to Caido? He had a feeling that he wouldn’t be getting an answer to that question any time soon, but it couldn’t hurt to let the questions linger in his mind a little bit.    “I’ve heard of Northaven,” he said, dropping a few seeds. “I met a wizard named Remi from that land.” There was a smile that accompanied the statement, as he enjoyed his time with the mage. Remi was a good man, honest, and Arthur never let such things pass without compliment.    When the question was turned on him, he huffed slightly through his nose. “I come from a land called Camelot. A beautiful place, and one I’ll hold in my heart forever.” There was a touch of sadness to his voice, but it was one he couldn’t help. “I was king there, surrounded my most loyal and most trusted, and with their advising, I helped Camelot thrive.” He couldn’t take all of the credit, but he was the head of the movement into ushering Camelot from war to prospering peace. Arthur shrugged then, throwing a smile again to Ronin. “Now, Caido is my home, and I’m simply doing my best to create the best land here that I can.” ARTHUR If serving others is below you, leadership is beyond you.