Well, reading about this dragon inspired me. Here goes!
Padraidis returned to rest on the vast pile of riches and let their body sink into them again. The fact that this new Ebon Lord had fled instead of foolishly fighting was a good sign.
The progenitor of Dragonkind was... not content, but pleased.
They had been in the Ebon Vault since time immemorial and saw them all appear sooner or later, from the first to the last. There were the mighty, the cunning, the brave and the kind ones... which would the next one turn out to be? If the human's first impression was something to go by, the latter terms might be an appropriate descriptor.
A low growl slowly rolled out of Padraidis' throat, echoing from the walls in the distance. The vault itself was so vast humans and their like could not perceive them, but the dragon very well could.
If they wanted, they could simply leave this place and, for the first time in eons, stretch their wings to fly.
But there was a duty to be tended to.
Many an intruder believed that the guardian was created by the Ebon Emperor; some figured that all of their kind originated from the Empire, so long forgotten. They all met their demise, of course... but they wondered where this misconception originated from.
Padraidis merely shifted beneath the treasures over those memories, feeling the weight of their valuable blanket on their scales. It was... soothing, after how long it had been.
The Ebon Emperor was the first and last entity to ever truly gain their respect. There were others that defeated the primordial dragon before, but none to ever impress them. That was why they took upon the duty of guarding this treasury, remaining even after the Emperor was defeated and sealed away.
But Padraidis had realised eventually; Ebon Lords appeared, went and died. There were many, working to rebuild the Empire... yet the Emperor, what faint information they could get about him, was becoming more desperate. The dragon doubted that this impressive being still longed for supremacy.
Yet, even when knowing all this, Padraidis could not change anything about it; the dragon lacked the powers necessary to do so. It could only hope for the Ebon Lord to succeed.
But none ever did.
Another growl echoed through the vault. If there was anything this being had, it was patience; it already waited for so long... maybe this one would be different.
Heh. I will stay here as long as it takes, old friend.
Even if they could not do anything by themselves, they could watch for an Ebon Lord capable enough. They could wait until the stars aligned.
And once the Ebon Emperor was freed, this vault would lose its purpose as well as its guardian. Then, when all was said and done, Padraidis would fly again.