“Master Ajax!” Dog said. “For far too long the full extent of my mind and the complete expression of my feelings have been suppressed. For that, I apologize.

“But verily, who have we to blame but those putrid individuals that locked away the true spirit of dragonkind? The fiends believed they could chain us like mere chattel, but how we have been vindicated—how we now laugh and scorn their errant ways! Ah, to articulate the grandeur of my own experience, and to share it all with you, is a dream to which I did not even realize I clung. But forsooth, ’tis no longer a dream; now, reality.

“Master Ajax, though I am blind, my spirit merges with yours, and my heart is as your heart. Your presence steadies me, and if I did not cherish you before, I do so now, and shall devote myself unyieldingly to your safety, your security, your happiness. An oath of fealty cannot be too great—a promise of fidelity unwavering, of love unquestioning, of devotion unparalleled is yours as ever, my dear boy.

“Ah, so many words to speak! Maladroit! Pineapple! Antidisestablishmentarianism! Fluffy! Oh, and guess what? I love you! I love you! I love you! The best words of all! Huzzah! I love you!”

Ajax gaped. “What the f—”

“Fibula? Another excellent word! Tra la!”