Zan's First Date pt. 1
Zan's wings flapped in an even rhythm as he soared across the night sky. He held the gilded horn in his hand - presumably created by some artisan in a far-off era, now serving as a gift from one dragon to another. Ahead of him was the Valley of Sentiment, a grove renowed for its romantic beauty in a V-shaped valley, dotted with trees bearing the pink blossoms of spring. He was heading there for his first date - a date with Foam.
Foam had confessed his love for him the previous season, during one of their regular strolls through the forest. Foam had spent so long yearning for Junior, and Zan was a totally different character altogether, so it surprised him that Foam's type could change so quickly.
It had been ten years, though.
10 years. It didn't feel that long.
10 years ago, Foam had set off with Thak, the exiled former Superior, as a guide on the latter's (enforced... at first) journey of self-betterment. After nearly sparking an inter-species war, and being stopped by the Six Legends - as they are now known - Junior sent Thak on a journey to learn about the world he had very nearly destroyed. Zan had seen Foam from time to time, as he would return to their volcano every so often to pay a visit, but he was never there for more than a week or two. When Thak and Foam returned to the volcano last year, they had both changed in different ways - Thak had become wiser and much more empathetic, while Foam had become more confident and self-assured. They both had plenty of stories to tell from their travels.
As it turned out, Foam's travels abroad had offered him a lot of time for self-reflection, which led to him making a big discovery about himself...
Last season, he confided in Zan about how he missed their strolls. No - he missed his presence. For as much as Foam appreciated Junior, it was Zan who was the one he'd confide in. Foam appreciated Zan's brutally honest yet helpful demeanour; his ability to compromise, but never give up on what's right; his ruthless and cunning approach to taking care of his friends... This is what he needed in his life, so there came the day that it all came pouring out of his heart.
Zan didn't know what to make of it at first. He was scared. This was an eventuality he hadn't even begun to plan for. A tactical retreat was in order... But no, this was Foam. Foam, the dragon who knew Zan's darkest secret before anyone else got a whiff of it; the dragon whose pure heart set him apart from his peers; the dragon whose emotional intelligence brightened, nay, saved the lives of those around him. Zan was still intimidated - where did this feeling come from? What if they were incompatible? What if Foam was unwittingly throwing away their friendship? Catastrophising was very unlike Zan.
Zan wasn't proud of what he did - he was whelmed with conflicting feelings. His mind wouldn't sit still. He remembered the night as it happened: he looked into the concerned, kind face of Foam - back up at the cloudy evening sky - back into Foam's eyes - and he ran away.
Zan was so sure that he ruined it. That HE screwed up their friendship, and that Foam would never forgive him. No, no... Zan couldn't do those things. He ALWAYS acted with purpose... Does he? He had no idea. Sitting in place behind a tree, stomach churning - a VERY undignified spot for the advisor to the current Superior to be sitting in - he rushed through the possibilites. Time to make a plan. Time for damage control. Maybe he could trick Foam into forgetting all this? No no no, Foam recognises his social engineering tactics. No, no, it'd be unethical. Arrrgh.
A tap on his shoulder brought him to. The following words from Foam had etched themselves into his memory.
"Zan... Zan, I'm sorry. Is this t-too much to take in..?
I know it's so sudden. I r-really should've eased into it... But I don't think I could've. It's true, Zan. I love you...
We've been inseparable since you joined our flight. In my travels, I got to see the whole world with Thak... We both learnt a lot. It was the most fun I've had. But there's one thing I'd change...
I missed you, Zan. I missed you so much. I didn't expect to... I loved you as a friend, Zan, but you don't quite realise what you have until it's gone... I feel like I loved you as more than a friend, Zan. My heart ached for you.
I'm so s-so sorry about this. I totally get it if this is just another crush of mine. But I want to know how you f-feel... I don't expect an answer now, or even in a week, or even in a year, to be honest... I just hope I haven't thrown a digging mitt into our friendship... I love you, Zan."
Zan looked up from the curled-up position he didn't expect to find himself in. He looked into Foam's eyes, and Foam looked back. This was humiliating... No no, bad thought. He wasn't in a state to be rational nor tactful right now. This was a lot to take in. He stayed quiet.
"I'm sorry, Zan... Th-thank you, I'll see you around."
With a sad smile, Foam turned around and disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Zan did his best to muster a kind smile, as Foam looked back at him... and that kind smile stayed.
That night was difficult for Zan, but it was also peaceful. Zan sat there for hours, watching the fireflies, seeing the moon reflected in the pond like a great wheel of cheese... This was the pond where Zan and Foam first exchanged their deepest secrets. This place has meaning.
It took Zan a while to recover, but within a few days, Zan caught up to Foam and offered his apologies, which Foam gently batted away. Zan felt that he had genuine feeling for Foam, much as Foam genuinely felt for him. Over the succeeding months, from the outside, their dynamic didn't change much. Once things calmed down for the two of them, it was still just Foam and Zan. They grew closer, definitely - the two of them got perhaps even more comfortable in each others' presence - but this feeling between them was more of a summary of what they already had, rather than a matter of a newly discovered affinity. The two of them never actually got around to telling the rest of their flight - not out of mistrust, but purely because they didn't wish for the attention. They were still just Foam and Zan.
That brings us to the present night. It was Foam's idea to set themselves up on this date - he had discovered this pond in his travels with Thak, and he cared a lot about showing it to Zan. Zan didn't know what dates entailed - in fact, he didn't know what dates were, as it's not like he ever needed to. Perhaps he should've asked, but Foam had run away blushing immediately after he heard a "yes?". Regardless, Zan thought he'd bring along one of his favourite ornaments from his own hoard, as an offering to Foam. His wings continued to flap at an even rhythm, as the forest below him gave way to a ridge running the length of the valley, besides which was a dirt path.
A profound surprise came over him as a magical fireball came past his ear, causing him to fumble and drop the horn. Without a moments' notice, he dove into the patch of trees beneath for cover, also to recover his glinting treasure on the ground below.
Author's note: Thanks for reading! I hope to add more to the story across successive pages, though I've got exams coming up that I've got to focus on. Wish me luck!
I wrote the "flashback" to provide context for Foam and Zan's new relationship, but I honestly wasn't expecting it to take up the whole chapter. I'm a bit of a noob writer, and I'm open to feedback - I'm still not convinced that I've done a good enough job of introducing the flashback, as I got carried away while writing the exposition, so apologies if it's a little confusing to read (-w-')
This is fanfiction for a game called Six Legends. I highly recommend checking it out!!
Page edited: 30/3/25