"And home again, " Thomas said touching down in his sister Sarah's garden, and allowing Sarah and her son Tommy to hop off his back. He heard a gasp, and noticed the neighbor woman hurriedly usher her children inside.

"Surely your neighbors know by now I mean them no harm," Thomas said. "I've stopped by enough. "

"It's not everyday you see a human riding a dragon, Thomas," Sarah pointed out, "it scares them, to think I might control a dragon in that way."

"But you are my sister, not a random human. I allow you to ride under my own free will, and it's much quicker. A day's worth of walking reduced to an hour by flight." "I know that, but it still frightens them, despite me explaining you're my brother." Sarah sighed, she knew it could be frustrating to Thomas when innocent people ran in fear of him. "I'll remind them again you mean them no harm, and that they can expect occasional dragons in my garden, seeing as you're family. "

"Thank you," Thomas said. "I must be off, do take care, " he rose to the air, ignoring a shout of fear from another home near Sarah's.

When Thomas arrived home to his cave, he was greeted by his wife Elle, and daughter Ash Bringer.

"Papa, you're home!" Ash Bringer said happily, flying circles around him. "Goodness Ash," Thomas laughed, "it's only been a few hours."

"I have something to tell you!" Ash said landing in front of him. "Papa, I want to learn to read!"

"She saw some writing on one of the pieces in my horde," Elle explained. "And wanted to know what it said. I never learned to read myself, so its been quite the wait to learn what this mystery message is."

"I imagine it would be," Thomas agreed, "let's see this writing in question." Elle pushed an ornate plate his way. "It says 'twenty- five years of love.' Thomas read. "It seems this was someone's anniversary gift at one point. Now, to avoid hours wait to decipher a message in the future, I do agree Ash, you should learn to read." He smiled at Elle, "and you too love, it's never to late to learn. Sarah and I were fortunate  that our parents taught us our letters, but many weren't as lucky. Especially as the old king enjoyed an illiterate population. It made them less likely to rebel."

"I always wondered what it may be like to read a story, " Elle mused, "I guess you'll have two students."

Thomas smiled, "learn to read, and I shall write you a story."

The next day, the dragon family sat in a patch of dirt, Thomas scratching the alphabet into the ground. He'd quickly ruled out parchment as Ash could not quite control her fire.  Patiently, he began to teach his wife and daughter to read.

Two weeks passed before Ash successfully scratched her own name into the soil. As the family celebrated, they heard a shout of terror. Thomas turned to see a man running back towards the village. This could lead to trouble.

As Sarah tended bar at the pub, a panicked man ran in. "Dragons!" he shouted. "Dragons mere miles out of town. And they were writing!"

The pub quickly grew frantic with the news. Dragons were of course feared by most, but many in the city were wary of anyone who could read or write. "What devil's work is this?" Cried one of the villagers. "Surely these dragons spell doom for us all!"

Sarah felt her stomach sink at their frevor. She suspected these dragons were Thomas and his family. The new queen's reign had led to more prosperous times, but still so many were suspicious of the written word. She needed to settle things before her brother was forced to defend himself. Leaving the bar to the cook and dish hands, she made her way toward the palace.

The next day Ash Bringer was very disappointed to learn they would not be leaving the cave for their lesson. "Not until we know it's safe, Ash," Elle had comforted her. "We can still practice our letters here. "

Ash had brightened a few hours later when Thomas heard footsteps coming to the mouth of their cave. He and Elle stepped protectively in front of Ash as one of the Queen's knights appeared.

The man took one look at the dragon couple and the writing on the ground and gasped. "It's true!" he yelped.

"Who are you?" Thomas demanded, "and what business do you have here?"

"I told you to let me go first, " came a familiar voice, and Sarah appeared next to the knight. "Hello, Thomas. Sir Franklin has a message from the queen for you. Also, I prevented an angry mob from searching for you, so you're welcome. "

Thomas relaxed upon seeing his sister, and Ash Bringer ran out from behind her parents to greet her aunt.

With a trembling voice, Sir Franklin began his message, "Her Majesty Queen Vivian recognizes the dragon couple Thomas and Elle and thanks them for their role in overthrowing her tyrannical brother a few years ago. It has come to Her Majesty's attention that Thomas, Elle, and their daughter Ash Bringer have been seen reading and writing outside the city. "

"We have, " Thomas said. "And we do wish to continue. I assume that will not be an issue?"

"N-n-no, not at all!" Sir Franklin stammered, "there's more to the message! The queen wishes to assure Thomas and family they are welcome to continue their lessons, and villagers have been strictly forbidden from preventing them doing so. Her majesty is also pleased to announce free literacy classes to all citizens, in the hopes that dragon writers may not inspire such panic in the future."

Thomas huffed, "About time some of them leaned to read and stop being hysterical at the sight of a few letters. "

"Yes, yes,  of course, " the knight said, bobbing his head. "Well, I think I must be going. I bid thee well." He stepped out of the cave. Thomas turned to Sarah. "Would you like a ride? I do seem to owe you from keeping us out of the target of a mob. "

"I would much prefer that to traveling with Sir Franklin again, " Sarah agreed. "And when we get home, I will give you a slate and chalk for you to continue your lessons."

The siblings soared over a startled Sir Franklin on their journey back to Sarah's.

When Thomas returned, he set the slate on the floor of the cave. It took a couple attempts to comfortably hold the chalk in his claws, but when he managed, he wrote out a message.

Elle studied it for a moment, and then sounded out the message "T, E and A. Dragon writers."

This story is part of my Thomas the Dragon collection. You can read the others here