Draco was a dragon of many passions. But the thing he was most passionate about was his love for a human girl named Mira. And she loved him back. At least, she loved the version of him she knew.
Long ago cursed to live a dual existence, he spent most of his time as a man, but had to revert to dragon form at least three days a fortnight or die. Not that his personality changed. He remained the same caring prince Mira knew and loved. Just in a somewhat more imposing body.
Today, on Valentineās Day, Mira was expecting Draco to propose. And he ardently wanted to do just that. But first, he had to know she could accept all of him, just as he was.
So, today, taking his heart in his handsāor paws, as it were, he revealed his dragon half to the woman he loved, certain she would spurn him when she saw the truth. Instead, Mira broke into an infectious grin and an even more infectious laugh.
āWhatās so funny?ā Draco spluttered, hurt by her laughter and sure it presaged a scathing rejection.
āIām sorry,ā Mira said, calming her laugh with visible effort. But Iāve always dreamed of having my own dragon, ever since I was a little girl.ā Then, again grinning, she added, āAnd he looked just like you.ā
Draco couldnāt believe his ears, though a dragonās hearing is infallible. Mira had to reassure him repeatedly that it was true and that she loved him even more, knowing that he was the dragon of her dreams.
As Mira snuggled in close to Draco that night, watching the stars, he braved the second part of his secret. āBefore you say yesā¦I mean, I know you already did, but just to be sureā¦you should know that this is hereditary. Our children will bear this same curse.ā
His heart soared as Miraās laugh tinkled, her body shaking gently against his. āWhat could be better, my prince, that our own little hoard of dragons?ā
I created a number of pictures for Valentineās Day. I nearly went with one of Red Riding Hood and the not-so-bad Wolf, but settled on the one I used.
No matter how great our lives might seem, thereās always room for doubt and uncertainty as to how someone might respond to us if they see all of us. It requires a certain amount of braveryāand trust in the other personāto reveal that. Iām glad Draco found the courage to do so.
On another note, for me, Valentineās Day isnāt just about romance and whether or not you have a significant other in your life. I think itās about love of all kinds. Some of the images I created were about exactly that.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff854f9b9-ea85-4180-899c-e48bb857ea73_1024x1024.png)
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2849f6d0-2e0f-454a-9aac-e9a1ba350197_1024x1024.png)
I wonāt be celebrating with a partner, but I feel the love of my family, friends, and, of course, Jace, my dog. I also feel love for the children of the world and wish happiness for them and all of you today and every day.
Happy Valentineās Day everyone.
How many times I've witnessed the fear, if you only knew the real me. I was like that, too, when I was younger, and it was so hard. I guess that's a gift of age... take me or leave me. I am who I am and that's all I can be. I heard a saying once that I took to heart, "If I try to be you who is going to be me?"
And I agree about Valentine's Day. One of the greatest loves I think we can hold in our hearts is self-love. Yes, I mess up and have blips, big and small, but I do my best and work hard to do better. However, I accept I'm not perfect and never will be. I wish that for everyone, especially the children. Be you, my darlings, in all your colours because you're the only one that can beā¤ļø
I wonāt be celebrating with a partner, but I feel the love of my family, friends, and, of course, Jace, my dog. I also feel love for the children of the world and wish happiness for them and all of you today and every day.
Love is love and sometimes, we can't change it.