More fanart of The Heart of Tales by @katy-133 (play it here! You won’t regret it!). I really like this game–I even put together a jazz playlist for it.
The Mithamoore and Sareth romances are probably my favorites. Last time I drew Sareth; this time I drew Mithamoore!
Branching off the ending where the Hero (Perri Jone in my playthrough) goes with Mithamoore to try and find the person who turned him human. I headcanon that Perri Jone left Sareth in Cole’s care while she and Mithamoore went on their romantic quest.
I did a few sketches this time, of Mithamoore and the hero chilling, then them being romantic. The bottom one is when Mithamoore turns human, crying and hugging the hero--you decide whether this scene is a dream or not. ;)
--The world is confused. So confused. The Hero basically peaces out for two years, then saves the world again out of nowhere, and NOW is travelling everywhere with a “friendly dragon”?! What is this. The bards can’t make sense of this craziness.
--Once in a while, they reach a town that was damaged by the Earthburner. Mithamoore has vowed to make up for his mistakes, so they stay a while and do what they can to help the community. Mithamoore is a helpful dragon! He can hunt for animals, make fires, make wind with his wings, among other things.
--Not that many communities will have them. Most places flat-out refuse the Hero entry--even if they are THE HERO, they still have a huge dragon that is also Mithammore the Earthburner, so. Nothing personal. It takes quite a while for people to accept this weirdness and let the Hero in--most places need her to keep the GIANT DRAGON outside, though. The Hero usually goes inside to do her business, but then sleeps outside with her love. They spend many nights under the stars, and Mithamoore points out the constellations, the ancient dragons watching from above.
--There’s also a lot of people who think that the Hero defeated Mithamoore and basically forced him to serve her, or owns him now. It takes a while for that misunderstanding to die--and even after it’s mostly gone, there are still whispers of it. Some people say that the Hero is in love with the dragon--but that would be absurd! That’s totally not what’s happening here. ;)
--It gets to the point where the king summons the Hero to his castle to find out what the heck this is. Needless to say, she tells him. He’s pretty flabbergasted, and keeps their conversation to himself.
--Things are hard in the beginning. Not only in terms of acceptance and limited living spaces and dragon killers (more on that later), but also with the Hero and Mithamoore’s relationship. Mithamoore still struggles with trusting, trying to force his cynical beliefs out of his heart and believe in the one he loves. At night, he has dreams of waking up alone, abandoned--or, worse, with the Hero’s sword in his belly. At first he tries to hide his fears, so he is not seen as weak. But after a tense night, after lashing out, he apologizes shares them with the Hero. He waits anxiously for her response, terrified that his fears will come true, that his anger and fear will cause her to leave him. But she smiles, and puts a gentle hand on his nose. “I’m glad you told me,” she says. “You should know that no matter what happens, I’ll still love you. We can work together on this, ok?” In that moment, he knows--again--that he chose the right person. After this, he vows to be more open with his partner, for both their sakes.
--He also has trouble being humble, coming to terms with his new reputation--not as a being feared, not even as one respected by humans (because of his association with the Hero and the ownership misunderstanding). In his time with the hero, he fosters a new kind of strengh: that of compassion and kindness, a strength discovered when he met the Hero, which he grows as their journey goes on. He redefines himself, comes to understand and expel the darkness in his heart, respecting humankind along with the words of his ancestors.
--So many people want Mithamoore dead, now that he’s vulnerable and out of the safety of his lair. Think Inigo Montoya types, except replace “father” with “town/farmland/other family member who died in Mithamoore’s wake (who may or may not be a father)”. The Hero and Mithamoore pay restitution in the cases they can--Mithamoore’s layer is full of gold, after all, and he has grown to be willing to give it to those in need. But some things cannot be restored--the lives Mithamoore took as a killer will never return to those who grieve. The dragon would give his own life if he could, but to do so would seperate him from his love forever. So he lets the person make a request of him--and no matter how obsurd (within some reason, of course), he will do it.
--Growing is not easy. There are some nights Mithamoore cries himself to sleep--”I am a hidious beast, a terrible being who does not deserve life--I’ve done such awful things in my lifetime; how can she love such a horrible thing as me?” And yet she does, the Hero reassures him, and she always will. Which only makes him cry more.
--When/If, then finally find the sorceress who cursed Mithamoore, it is after a long, multi-year search, following rumor after rumor, person after person, until they locate her tiny shack on the edge of the Fifth Kingdom’s woods. She recognizes Mithamoore immediately, and smiles as she listens to his and the Hero’s story. “You are not the same dragon I cursed all those years ago,” the woman says. “Very well. I will give you your human form.” When Mithamoore once again has hands and feet--he wears the clothes the Hero bought him the week they met--at once he runs to his love and wraps his new arms around her, feeling her warmth. The Hero smiles and hugs him back, patting him gently on the back. “Good to see you again.”
if you have not read the book How To Raise and Keep A Dragon,
That book is awesome! It’s basically framed like a how-to guide for keeping a pet, but it’s dragons! It’s adorable! And also very informative in case we ever discover dragons exist. ;)
Mithamoore would hate it. But you, the non-fictional human being, should read it!
Anyway, thanks for reading this post! Hope you enjoyed!
https://katy133.itch.io/the-heart-of-tales
