I was a normal boy living in a normal town infested with dragons. You know, the usual. As I walked down the street I reviewed the different types of Dragons in my head. Fire, water, wind, ice, storm, dark, light, metal. The basics really. I dodged a fireball, that sadly singed the back of my shirt. "Good morning Mrs. Flatterhorn, it's only me." I called. The old women who sat in a worn rocking chair gazed at me through a pair of tiny spectacles. Her almost fluffy looking guard dragon growled playfully at me as it curled around her feet. "Oh it's just you boy. I thought it was the Nippers!" She rasped and I nodded. "No worries. Have a nice day!" I called and then continued on my way. The clock tower signified I was late, summoning a nasty curse word to mind and my feet shuffled faster.

I managed to slip in unnoticed, until of course the old metal dragon Lucifer hit his metal tail on the bell signifying to my master that I was once again late. "You cruel old dragon." I hissed and the Dragon growled lowly before hitting the bell again, this time louder. I dove under my work bench when I heard the angry footsteps of my master.

My master was a very heavy set man, one could say, but I just called him fat. He squeezed through the narrow door frame, huffing and puffing out of both anger and pure exhaustion after lumbering down the stairs. "WHERE ARE YOU BOY!?" He roared, causing his usually pink cheeks to go red and his many rolls of fat jiggle. My urge to laugh was what led him to drag me from out under the bench by my left ankle and drop me onto my back. I wished he dropped me on my head. Death would have been a better punishment. "You are lucky you do your job well or else I'd string you from the gallows myself." He growled and I merely stared up at him from my place on the floor. My giving no response must have angered even more because a long string of curses I was not permitted to repeat spilled down his chin in a tidal wave of anger. "I'll see that you learn your lesson later. I have very important guests and I won't have you messing things up for me." He said and pulled me up by the collar of my shirt. "Get to work." He snapped before lumbering out. I spit on the ground where he had just been standing and cursed him and any descendents he likely wouldn't have before sitting down at the old dusty work bench and got my paints out.

Now judging by the state of my rough and callused hands, one would assume I was in a more physically demanding line of work. Depending on how long I was deemed worthy of working, my hand would start cramping, but other than that my day job was pretty easy going. I mean, painting teeny tiny designs on fragile China is a very essential line of work. Most nobles did everything with China. They like to admire the designs while they enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh. At least that was what old man Henry said. He often told stories of when He was a guard in the queen's castle.

After five hours of nonstop painting, an hour long lecture about not being late, two hours of cleaning the kitchen as punishment, and a thirty minute stop at Mrs. Flatterhorn's for a few pieces of pie and a cup of tea, all of which I had to force down my throat and smile while doing so just to appease the blind bat of a lady, I was finally on my way home.

My mother was used to me coming home after dark. When I entered the small wooden shack of a house I saw a hot meal waiting for me. It brought a small smile to my tired face as I sat down at the table. When I finished eating I washed and dried the plate. As I put it away I heard a door open and close and my inner ninja kicked in. I slunk along the wall silently as I moved toward the room in question. I waited for a moment before I let out a Viking worthy cry and threw the door open.

"Benjamin Gregory Thomas! Quit your hollering! You'll wake the neighbors!" My mother scolded as she gripped me by my ear. I was bending down, seeing as I dwarfed her. She always said I had my father's height.

"Sorry mom..." I mumbled. She huffed and tugged on my ear one more time before letting go and turning back to the laundry. "You used your last clean shirt today. I was doing the laundry." She explained as I rubbed my ear. "Actually I used my last clean shirt two days ago. I think this one was from about a week ago." I said. She paused and then rolled her eyes. "Boys are disgusting." She muttered. "Strip little boy. I'll wash that one too." She demanded and I pulled the shirt over my head, handing it to her. "Did Mrs. Flatterhorn think her were a nipper again?" She asked as she inspected the singed bit of the shirt. "Yeah. She made me an apology pie. I cooked down the entire thing." I said and she gave me a sympathetic look. "You are the only kid I know who can't stand pie." She said. I nodded. "Tis a hard life I live." I said and she chuckled.  "Now go take a bath. You stink." She said and I crossed my arms. "How do I know you didn't use all the hot water already?" I asked. She gave me a look that shut me up real fast. "Yes mother." I mumbled sheepishly and hightailed it out of there.

My mother was a short and skinny woman. She had long black hair that she always kept in a bun, with little streaks of grey here and there. Her almond shaped brown eyes always shone with determination. She could put a grown men half her size on his ads in a moment. I've seen her do it. Poor Yokav hasn't tried anything with her since. She could also make me feel like a child, no matter how tall I got. As I sank into the soapy water I scrubbed my head roughly. "Don't forget to wash behind your ears." My mother nagged playfully from the door. "Do you enjoy watching me take bathes mother?" I asked. Her response was a snort. "I pushed you out of my vagina kid. There is nothing I won't watch you do." She said and I scratched my head. "Hmm. I sure hope the girl I end up marrying is okay with that, I wouldn't want her to be comfortable the first time." I said and she chuckled. "Now that I won't watch. I don't think I want to see you be dominated by a girl. I like to think that you are my little man." She said and I held a hand over my heart. "Mother you wound me." I said dramatically and she laughed. "Oh shut up. Go to bed." She said and I leaned forward. "First to strip. Then to bathe. Now to sleep. Gosh mom. You are very commanding tonight." I teased as she turned away. "I know. I'm trying out a new technique. I hear that's commanding an unruly child is good for dicsipline." She said and left. I leaned back with a sigh. My mom was weird.