Celeste stroked the dark-hair of young man's head resting in her lap, while the fire crackled and snapped in the oversized stone hearth. A book of poetry spread before her, forgotten as she watched the dancing flames. The youth's face turned upward to face her, dark eyes wide with puppy-like adoration. It would be some years before the lines started to appear on his face and she'd release him from her spell.

Her awareness rippled as someone stumbled past her wards, drawing her thoughts from the fireplace and focusing inward. The newcomer struggled through her wards, unaware, but weighed down by something.

She sat up straight and tapped the youth's notched ear (she always marked her pets). He leaped nimbly to his feet and bowed before her waiting for her spell. "Ah, my sweet," Celeste murmured with a small smile and lifted her staff. The magic surged and the boy's handsome features stretched and hardened into the form of a dragon. Her own clothing changed into the dramatic red and black she wore for such confrontations.

She perched atop the dragon's muscled neck and let him take flight, guiding her with the gentle pressure of her hands. He responded to her touch and her magic until the reached the narrow flight of natural stairs the lead to her domain.

A gnome cried out in terror as the pair alighted, dropping his oversized satchel and running for the cover of a small boulder. Celeste waved her staff at the rock and it turned to sand, scattering its tiny parts at the gnome's feet. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The gnome twisted his hat in his hands and threw himself to the ground. "A traveler, mistress. Only a traveler. I thought this might be a shortcut!"

"Foolish mistake." The dragon boy growled, smoke slipping from between his sharp teeth. Celeste raised her staff.

"Please, mistress, no," the gnome pleaded. "I can offer you a gift!"

Celeste paused, intrigued. "What gift?"

The gnome shuffled toward his leather satchel and flipped it open, revealing a strange metallic box with a bit of round glass at the end. Celeste raised an eyebrow as he lifted it up to show her. "This will give you a picture, mistress, instantly. Perhaps a picture of your beauty, captured forever with your majestic beast?"

Celeste set a hand on the dragon's warm nose, considering the offer. "I shall see the picture, then decide."

The gnome bowed a dozen times more as he set up his strange contraption. "Beautiful, mistress, beautiful," he declared. Celeste drew herself to her fullest height, posing for the supposed picture. The gnome peaked around from behind the metal box. "Now, smile!" he cried.

Celeste did not smile. The gnome disappeared behind a flash and a puff of smoke. When it cleared, the gnome was nowhere to be seen, nor was his contraption, but a single piece of paper lay on the ground where he had once been. "Clever gnome," Celeste purred with a small smile. It was not often a mortal pulled the wool over her eyes. Undoubtedly, the gnome could still be caught, but she appreciated a well played ploy and had no desire to pursue him. Not yet, at least. She bent to pick up the paper and her lips curled into another small smile.

She kissed the dragon's nose. "You did smile," she said, patting his snout fondly. The dragon purred, leaning into her touch. "Come, let us go home."