Cyrumahndhr roared in glee, belting out a final gout of flames to billow over the smoking carcass of the village lord's castle.

Stones had been thrown and launched far, tearing the thatched roofs and crushing the walls of the local serf's homes, and the former castle lay as rubble. Cyrumhndhr had finally done it. There would be no human that dared to stop him, they would either bow in defeat or die. Rising from the ruin, he flapped his powerful wings, launching his glittering orange body into the air. With a few lazy beats of his wings he landed right in the village's square.

"Mortals!" He bellowed out to the serfs, who he could smell hiding away in whatever crevice they had chosen to avoid the fighting. "I, Cyrumahndhr have conquered your village! Your pathetic human military was no match for my might!" A few of the braver humans posed their heada out, peeking warily from doors, ditches, wells, wherever. Cyrumahndhr scanned their faces with his burning yellow gaze. "You will bring 15% of your shared wealth to me by sundown. You will bring one cow, one pig, and two sheep to me by sundown. You will give me one chicken, or duck, or goose from every family by sundown. You will do so every month, with the exception of the cows, pigs, and sheep- which you will do every three months. If you do not comply I will raze your village, burn your corpses, and eat your smoking remains. If you do comply, then this village is mine, you will do as I say, and I will not kill you."

By the time Cyrumahndhr finished his speech, some of the serfs had come into open view, looking at him confused. Children with hollow cheeks hung on their mother's blouses, and men with bowed backs and swelled fingers gazed at the dragon with an unexpected twinkle in their eyes.

"You have until sundown. My lair is to the north, a cave in the hills of the forest. You will be there." He growled. "Or else."

It was about an hour and a half, the sun was close to setting, but still shone yellow and bright in the sky. Cyrumhandhr sneezed and roused from his short catnap. Rolling over on his, admittedly, small horde he faced the entrance of his cave. He could smell them, the humans. Lazily he waited until the humans filed in, carrying their chest of valuables, and dragging in their frightened livestock. Eyeing one of the fearful cows, Cyrumhanhr licked his jowls.

"Oh great dragon-" One of the hollow faced men began. "We have accepted your generous offer, and have brought you the requested offerings."

Cyrumhandhr hummed, and darted forward, snatching the shrieking cow and eating it whole. When he had finished swallowing the beast, he stared down at the humans. Then their words registered. Sneering, he growled down at them, "Generous? I am a dragon, I have razed your village, killed your lord. I hold you at ransom. I am not generous, I am to be feared." He said, slamming a claw down upon his horde.

The humans paused, some spooked from Cyrumhanhr's outburst. Their leader, the hollow faced man stood strong though.

"That is why you are generous, oh Great One. You have killed our lord, a swine-fat pustule he was. He worked us into the ground, taxed us when we used the mill to grind his grain that we gave to him. Taxed us to use his fields that we used to plant for him. Taxed us on our homes that he owns. Taxes on taxes on taxes. Since we did not make money, he took the grain. Took all of it, most of our crops, our livestock. We have been starving and dying. Working ourselves to the grave under his tyrannical fist." The man said, voice bitter. Then he smiled. "But then you came, oh Great One, and killed that monster. Gave use new terms, livable terms. And..." he paused, voice growing smug, "To top it all off, you offered us the protection of a dragon."

Cyrumahndhr waited as the man finished his speech. Claws tapping idly on the stone of the cave. When the man finished he snorted. "So it seems I have." Rolling over, he waved the humans away. "Far be it from me to refuse eager servants. Leave the chicken cages where they are, and tie the livestock to those-" he yawned, "rocks over there."

"Of course, oh Great One." The human said, his words instantly followed by the sounds of moving and organization by his fellow brethren. And just as Cyrumahnhr's eyes shut, he thought he heard a "Thank you." from the man. But he did not dwell on it, quickly slipping into slumber to the whimpers of livestock and the shuffling of human feet leaving his lair.