A fire dragon rising from the water - what an image! Vivid, memorable.
And then... this!

She bends her neck and lays her head near my feet on the edge of the large stone.

WHO IS THIS GUY, that a dragon would do this, like a loyal dog, ready to serve and protect and honor!

Knowledge and teaching the young (to preserve the knowledge for generations to come) -
I love that theme!

Both men and women were very well acquainted with flavorful and medicinal herbs. Generation after generation this teaching evolved. Our knowledge of health and healing was therefore highly appreciated. We were the ally against the ever-lurking diseases and unsurmountable death.... All this was way before my time, but knowing where our people come from is important. It shows where our roots lie. And unlike the tribes in the region, who are mainly concerned with survival, knowledge is seen as the highest good in our society. It enables us to survive but also to grow as a tribe, fight disease and make calculated choices."

Just an editing note: When a speech is broken up into paragraphs, each new paragraph needs a beginning quote mark but NOT one at the end of the paragraph. Not until the last paragraph in the quoted speech.
Then again, a lot 21st C writers have abandoned old traditions of punctuation and all that.