Drachenscolderüng
The Society On Da Run NaNoWriMo Special
By Nipaporn Baldwin
Published by Geppetto Garten/Nipaporn Baldwin at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 by Nipaporn Baldwin
e-book edition (smashwords edition)
11/26/11 © 2011 licensed CC-BY-NC
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is the story of Ashuton and the girl he had fallen in love with before Narcissus. Prior knowledge of the TSODR series is not needed when reading this novel, but it will help. NOTE: Italian may or may not be correct.
NOTE: this novel is written in poetry form.
01:
Wuthering Heights
Albion wanted the dragon dead. He despised that dragon and all of his followers. Tonight the moon was waxing and he knew that dragon would be vulnerable. He readied the horses and his soldiers, and without a moment’s waste he headed for the dragon’s palace.
This dragon is one of the seventeen heirs to the Antonin throne. The Antonin empire is the most powerful ruling power on Earth, and their rivals, the dreadful Lucerano, want them dead. Unbeknownst to the citizens, the people in the Antonin bloodline are 47% human, the rest being dragon, and that means they can switch between the two forms whenever they wish. Their family name is Karrucci and they have been around since the days of Emperor Augustus of the Roman Empire.
Albion was best friends with Aaron Karrucci, the Emperor of Antonin, and Albion had fallen in love with Aaron’s sister. A recent event had shattered Albion’s short-lived romance with the girl and his friendship with Aaron had gone south. They became enemies and Albion vowed to take down the Empire by killing its most precious heir: Ashuton Karrucci.
Ashuton is the dragon of interest.
He is the one Albion is searching for.
The rain made it hard to see but Albion wouldn’t let that stop him. He put on his best hat and jumped onto the driver’s side of the carriage with Yuna, his best agent, sitting beside him. The horses let out a distorted cry before moving towards the forest path.
Ashuton carefully cut along the dotted lines and sewed the edges as quickly as he could. He stuck himself many times but he didn’t let that slow his pace. In just twenty minutes' time he finished the satin red dress and the pearl necklace. He could sense Albion and he knew he didn't have much time left.
He hastily gathered the dress and necklace and his precious red egg from the stool and left through the window. He climbed to the ballroom window and kicked it open with unimaginable force. The partygoers, whom had been frightened by the young man's unexpected entrance, had stopped in their tracks. They watched as he walked past them and out the main doors.
Albion reached the castle gates and he used his loyal Stormclaw dragons to break the gate open. Yuna accompanied him into the castle and they rushed through the ballroom and headed to Ashuton's room. Albion threw open the door and saw no sign of life. It was cold...
"what have we here?"
A red egg rested atop a silk pillow on a stool. Its shell sparkled with little specks of Fae Dust and the life encased within it was giving off a warm feeling. Albion felt the thoughts flow into his head as he reached for the egg. The moment his human hands touched it's cold sides, the egg turned into red blood. His eyes went wide, his chest burned with anger, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "ASHUTON!"
The dragon-prince was running to the gardens, which served as a perfect entrance to the forest. Albion and Yuna rushed outside to the soldiers. Thunder had begun to shout across the sky and the first flash of lightening had perfectly lit up the castle gardens. Albion spotted Ashuton making his getaway and he shouted, "there he is! There is the dragon! After him!"
Ashuton started to panic, but he knew that if he panicked too much he would mess up. A few soldiers on horseback were catching up to him. The horses were aware of their target and their eyes were burning with hostility. Ashuton held the items close as he prepared to shift forms. He mentally connected with his dragonself and his body changed. He was now the creature that they feared. In this form he can outrun the horses and he felt his confidence go back up!
Until he came to the cliff edge.
He came to a precarious stop and unfurled his wings. Down below was a small feral village across the river. He could feel the presence of dragons, but only the tiny King Dragons. He could take flight right now and face Albion's dragons, or he could find another path but run into Albion's soldiers. He looked back, the horses nearing, and he took a deep breath. He wasn't ready to fight but was willing to do anything to be rid of Albion for now. He jumped off the cliff and flew upwards. He gazed at the angered soldiers at the cliff edge and wondered was that really it. Was that the only thing Albion could throw at him?
"Sir...he's beyond our reach." said the general.
Albion shook his head, "no he is not. Ready the longbows."
The soldiers complied and armed themselves with the dreaded weapon they carried. The longbow was the only weapon capable of taking down a medium-size dragon like Ashuton... If aimed correctly.
Ashuton saw the archers preparing to fire. He quickly banked right towards the forest but he felt a painful jolt in his wing. He couldn't keep himself in flight and he crashed into a palm tree. He could hear screams from bystanders as he kept his mind from blacking out.
"A Dragon!!"
That was the voice of female youth. He heard tiny footsteps and felt a warm hand on his side.
"It looks like there's three arrows stuck in his wing!"
The girl climbed atop him and removed each arrow, one by one. He cringed as an arrow was forcibly pulled from his wingbone.
"there, that should help. I have rumbleberry juice to help ease the pain, but you'll have to drink it from the box!"
He wanted to thank the strange girl but he couldn't muster the strength to move his mouth. He could only let out a slow, guttural groan. She ran off and came back with a mango.
"this is for you. It'll help you heal."
He turned his attention to her and was stunned at her appearance. She was tall for her age (sixteen) and had the face of a child. Her cheeks showed her happiness, and her hair was to her shoulders. She wore a white shirt with Hello Kitty on the front and her jeans shorts were of a dark blue color. He hadn't seen a girl like her before. He had seen many brownfolk in his lifetime but they were nothing like this girl.
"You..." he began, voice low and old.
"yes?" the girl responded modestly.
A sudden shrill cry had broken the silence. A Wyvern dragon was flying above them and preparing for a landing in the village. Ashuton shoved his items in the girl's arms and shouted to her, "run! Protect those items with your life!"
The young girl nodded and hid in the bushes. The Wyvern encircled Ashuton and surrounded him in a ring of fire. The Wyvern landed in the flames, his scales unscathed by the heat.
"Albion of Lucerano has sent me here to retrieve you." he said.
Ashuton went into defensive mode, "you would dare fight your own father?"
The Wyvern's eye colors were flooded with a deep red color, "I have no Father. I am no longer part of the Empire."
He took the first strike, clamping his teeth onto Ashuton's other wing. Ashuton bit down onto the Wyvern's neck and used his foreclaw to slash the dragon's neck, but the Wyvern held on. He slashed Ashuton in a similar fashion and bent his wing. Ashuton pushed against the Wyvern and grabbed it's wings with his "forepaws" (or feet). He took flight, each wingbeat bringing pain, and he tossed the Wyvern far along the river. He hovered for a moment, awaiting the Wyvern's resurface, and to his surprise the Wyvern did resurface. It flew right at him and Ashuton clawed at the Wyvern's back to distill it. The creature unleashed a fury of fire in hopes of ending Ashuton right then. But to the Wyvern's consternation it only made Ashuton mad. He summoned inner strength within him and strange markings appeared on his hide. The Wyvern stood his ground although feeling a bit of fear strike his heart. Ashuton gathered the anger within him and unleashed it on the Wyvern as a jet stream of molten hot rock. The Wyvern screamed shrilly and shook it's body to rid of the burning lava. He cowered and spoke, "you may have one this time, Dragon, but your days...are numbered."
The Wyvern took flight, dizzily flying through the graying afternoon sky. Ashuton plummeted towards the ground and hit like a large rock falling into a pond.
02:
Village of Sighs
He heard the girl's voice, "he's hurt! He's really hurt! We have to help him!"
"Nyota! Get away from that creature!"
The onlookers started whispering, "it's the chieftain!"
The girl hugged Ashuton's arm and when she spoke he could hear determination coming from her voice, "Father, I'm not letting him go. He is injured and if we don't treat him he could get infected and die!"
Ashuton growled lowly as the pain shot through him like a pack of needles in his blood vessels.
"That beast has caused our village enough trouble." said the Chieftain.
Ashuton thought to himself, 'I am not a beast. I am a Dragon.'
"Father, we're not sending him out there."
A few more teenagers came to join her beside the Dragon. Ashuton could tell all the leading inhabitants are African, but they had strong dragonblood flowing through their veins. There were, of course, other inhabitants that weren’t African. The chieftain flustered as he looked at the young protesters and the Dragon.
"Fine! He can stay, BUT only if he protects our village from the Shadowalkers."
Ashuton lifted his head, and he felt his muscles ache with weariness from the fight. He ran to the nearest dragon cottage and slipped inside. Nyota followed after, locking the cottage door, and where the Dragon should have been there was a man. This man looked to be in his mid-twenties, and his hair was quite long, it looked a bit longer than her's. He was European, she knew that much, and the inhabitants detested Europeans.
The man was coughing up blood and could hardly walk. She cautiously walked up to him.
"You're...a human...you're...you're..."
He looked at her and said, "I am...half human and half dragon. I am not the only half-life here."
Half-Life was a term used to classify Humans from Dragon-humans. Half Life was a term associated with the WDC's science experiment on humans.
"what was that stuff you gave me?" she asked.
Ashuton panicked, "where is it? Where did you put it!?"
"relax! It's in here on that desk over there." she pointed to a black computer desk that had a handmade look to it.
"we were suppose to get new computers from the Trade Caravans." she muttered.
His body temperature was rising faster with every minute. He climbed into the bed and threw off his clothing. Sweat was streaming down his head and his body was making a moist puddle in the bed. Nyota covered him with the blankets and fed a red rosenburry to him.
“this should stop the excessive sweating.” She said softly.
He slowly turned his head to face her and spoke with a strain in his voice, “thank you. How do you know what to do?”
“I work with Dragons, so I know how to care for one.” She said as she applied a wet cloth to his head, “you should rest now. I’ll stay here and watch you.”
“you’ll stay here and watch me rest?”
“No! I’m staying to watch over you in case…”
He lightly chuckled, “I am just joking!”
Her cheeks flushed red, and she asked, “what is that stuff for?”
“what stuff?” he wondered, “are you talking about my items?”
She slowly nodded.
“Those items are what I need to free my mother. She was captured a long while ago and they’re going to execute her.”
“They who?” asked Nyota.
He turned to face her and asked, “If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone?”
“I promise.” She said, “and I keep the promises I make.”
He sighed, knowing the dangers of revealing his secret. He spoke in a hushed tone, “I am the prince of the Antonin empire and because of that I am a high priority target to the rival empire Lucerano. They launched on attack on my family’s castle and they kidnapped my mother. They’re using her to bait me into their clutches. The average person would think I can’t help her, but they don’t know I am the master of black and white technology. They were essential in my journey of creating the items.”
She interrupted, “black technology? You mean the Art of Harnessing?”
He nodded, “I used both dark and light technology to make the dress and the necklace. The function of the dress is to make her unseen and the function for the necklace is to unlock any door she touches.”
“what’s the egg for?” she asked.
“the egg is her bodyguard. The little dragon inside will become stronger and help her escape.” He said.
She twiddled her thumbs, “does it have a mother?”
He smiled, he was trying too hard to suppress a laugh, “I’m sorry, your just too funny! I am its mother and father.”
Nyota stared at him confusingly, “how are—?”
Ashuton kept laughing, “everyone thinks that I am not suppose to lay eggs!”
“How can you do that? You’re a male!” said Nyota.
He stopped her, “I am a dragon god. I am the one responsible for creating new dragon societies.”
“But how? How do you lay eggs?” she asked, still trying to grasp the concept of it.
He sighed, “Now do you ask your god how he created the first humans?”
Nyota paused, “Uh…”
Ashuton interrupted, “No. you don’t.”
“where do the eggs come out?” she asked.
“Where do you think?” he raised an eyebrow.
She giggled, “that’s a lot of butthurt.”
“Yes, yes it is.” He turned to his side and threw the cover over his head.
“I’ll be here when you wake up.” She said.
* * *
It was beautiful…he could hear the sounds of dragons calling to him.
Father…father…father…we are here for you
It was just how he pictured it. All of his children were coming to him. He held out his hand and felt excitement take over. There were legions of them…all of them coming for their Father.
The scene changed and he was taken away from the sounds of his sweet children.
He was back in that house again…that awful place that housed that cult…they were all obsessed of him. They didn’t understand what he truly was. He couldn’t move, he was strapped to that cold concrete table. He could see the minister over his head and the Others standing at the tableside. The minister opened that old book with Lementia’s sigil carved on front.
He read in his usual monotonous voice, “Our need is to Him and His alone, for the Creatures are of His own blood and essence.”
The Others nodded and said in unison, “this we must follow.”
The minister continued on, “There are some built by sin that wish to abolish this second God, unless he forge them in his own frosty image, becoming one with the flesh of the dragon god and thereby getting closer to the High Divine.”
The Others repeated their catchphrase, “this we must follow.”
A dark haired teenage boy carefully drew the hood of his hoodie. He went to the table to retrieve the canister.
“Pour it.” Said one of the female Others.
The minister continued, “That is how it must remain.”
The boy poured the liquid onto the hapless dragonman. He could kill them all right now, just one swipe if he were in dragon form, but he had to abide by the laws of the dragons. Kill only if needed. He felt he needed to, these people were making a mockery of him.
He was no longer in the house but now he was in a hallway.
He was wearing his special party suit
It was made from the best silks and cloth that his Father’s money could buy
And the scarf around his neck was specially made by French Dragons in Prima
He wondered why…why was he wearing that suit?
He didn’t understand why until he opened the door
Everything was in black and white…
Only the red wine had some semblance of color
But even that felt colorless
He walked through isles of dances that didn’t bother to stop
“Come home, come home!”
He looked up and saw Nicholenne, his sister, staring down at him from atop a balcony.
“I'd hate to see a young man cry.” She said.
She inclined her head to the left and sung, “There will be light someday, but it's not enough yet. So release your cries then welcome me to your arms, hey. So release your cries then stop before you're a brat.”
Ashuton shouted, “He’s not here anymore!”
She descended down the stairs, her bright green eyes turned a darker shade of red, “They speak of you as a weakling on countdown to destruction, but I can be your obstruction of opposing words and grant your phantom wish.”
“Nikki…” he tried to interrupt.
She sang louder, letting the power of her voice reach him, “I’ll come and make my applause, I’m an autonomous dragon, a piece of sunlight. Call me Sitthheee, my young one, danger is not apart.”
Ashuton wavered, “Sithe? Why are you here? Why are you invading my dreams? Why are you working with Albion? Where is my mother?!”
Nikki (Nicholenne) jumped in front of him, Fear is not needed, not where we go. The whirlpool and acidity pulls you in and you cannot go!”
He tried running off but she grabbed him by his scarf. With unimaginable force she pulled him closer to her, “But, you are young, and down below says all. We’ll cherish you as our secret sin, so cry no more child, you’re with seven of me.”
She let him go and the floor beneath gave-in to an endless pit. A little red dragon circled him in devious circles. It landed on his shoulder and said, “Sithee will make sure your mother’s last breath will not surpass November 30, so come quick little boy, if you wish to save your mother.”
“NO!”
Nyota jumped up in fear. Apparently Ashuton had jumped up too. He was profusely sweating and panting. Nyota handed him the rosenburry, which he unwillingly ate. It’s tangy, sour and loud taste would stay in his mouth for hours. His mouth didn’t fully recover from the last rosenburry.
“what happened? I heard you shifting in the bed, and you were talking a lot.” She said with concern.
“it’s nothing. It was just a nightmare.” He lied.
“A nightmare? My mother knows how to cheer me up when I have a nightmare.” She said.
“Really?” he smiled, feeling warmer than he did before.
“Yes. hold up your hand.”
“My hand?” he wondered.
She nodded, “Yes, your hand.”
He slowly complied, holding up his hand.
She placed her hand in his and the moment she did that she could feel a slight spark in her blood. He felt it as well. Her blood was very familiar…it was the blood of Reyna, the ancient dragon goddess of Grace. He felt the memories return to him…
“Hey!”
“what?”
“watch!”
She closed her eyes and felt her body become weightless. A streak of her hair started glowing purple as she took a deep breath. She opened her mouth and let her voice produce a sweet melody that seemed to fill the room with vibrant colors, “In old times we speak of a Traveller that went far and crossed the stars of galaxy's end always traveling. He came with one wish, to travel the desert of the stars. He sought a small crew to accompany him. One Traveller, four pawns in his game, four lives tied with one life, until one ends and you are called home where you live.”
Ashuton smiled, I know this song!
“Thee creatures dwell the stars but the Traveller stays adamant, intent on completing his journey. Go far Traveller, beat the Silence. Far will the hills roll for you. With her Traveller, she will go far, until he meets his untimely journey's end.”
The moment she ceased singing the colors had disappeared just as quickly as they had come. She kissed him on his hand and smiled, “how was it?”
He smiled back at her, “it was perfect.”
Something inside him gave way to strange feelings. The more he gazed at this girl, the more he wanted to love her. She came closer to him and he planted a kiss on her lips. She never felt the way she was feeling right now. She was locked in a kiss…her very first kiss…
“I’m sorry!” she broke away from him and covered her mouth.
He shook his head, “no need to apologize. It was my fault. I should have better control over myself.”
“Nyota?!”
That voice was familiar.
“Uh oh, it’s my boyfriend.” She whispered.
She turned and saw Terpunku standing in the entrance.
He slammed the door and rushed to her, “who is that man?” he asked.
“Terpku, he is the man that saved our village from the Wyvern.”
“Saved us?” Terpunku scoffed, “he brought the dragon over here! What I want to know is why are you in here with him? You’re not servicing him or anything?”
Nyota jumped up, “No! No I am not! I am taking care of him. He needs to be watched. His temperature is unstable; his body won’t stop flaring…” she looked nervously for the jug of Rumbleberry smoothie she had bought in earlier.
Terpunku took her by the arm, “Watch him? He does not need watching, he is a dragon!”
Nyota sternly said, “He is also human, just like you and me.”
Terpunku lowered his tone so he was only audible to her, “you’d better not be fornicating with that…that…that lizard, or you’ll be the whore of the village.”
When he left Ashuton asked, “who is he? He seems to be a big dolt.”
Nyota sighed, “He is my boyfriend. My father chose him to marry me off in the future. My father doesn’t care for my feelings. I told him…”
He was still standing outside the cottage. He pressed his ear against the door and listened, wanting to know what she was saying.
“…I told him a great many times that I did not want to marry Terpunku, but he never listens. I fear I might have to run from here just to be free of that damned marriage custom.”
He felt he heard enough. Shocked, angered, saddened and dismayed, Terpunku walked away from the dragon cottage, still trying to gather the thoughts in his head.
“He doesn’t care what I think!” she cried.
“Sounds like my father.” Said Ashuton.
Nyota shook her head, “you don’t have these type of problems.”
Ashuton assured her, “yes I do. My father won’t let me choose my own woman, and the ones he choose are hard to connect with, they’re unattractive and they only care about how much money I have.”
There was a knock at the cottage door.
Nyota gleefully shouted, “come in!”
Surprisingly it was her Father!
“um…father?” she felt as if all the blood drained from her body.
Where the Dragon should have been…there was a man! A pale one at that!
“Who is that man?” he asked, and his tone hardened, “Nyota, who is that man?”
She held Ashuton’s hand like a lover confronting her dead husband, “he is the dragon. Father, before you even think about trying to stone him, listen to what I have to say.”
The chieftain crossed his arms, “okay. I am listening.”
Nyota was surprised a his response, “you are? Oh, you are. Right. Um…father…this man is half dragon and he is trying to find his mother. The Wyvern that came here…it knows where his mother is.”
The chieftain uncrossed his arms, “he is suppose to help our village. If he leaves now he will not be welcomed back here.”
“Father! He has until Monday to save his mother! Let him go and get her, he’ll return, I promise.” She said, holding his hand tighter.
“I will think about it,” said the chieftain, “now go to the village central. Storytime is just beginning.”
“Who is telling the story tonight?” asked Nyota.
“Reyna, like always.” Said the chieftain, “It’s the story of the Three dragonchildren.”
Upon hearing the title of the story and the reader, Ashuton sat up and asked, “May I join you two? As a dragon, I would love to hear the tale of the dragonchildren.”
The chieftain looked back and said, “hurry and get dressed, dragonboy. Reyna does not wait for anyone.”
* * *
03: Reyna’s Claw
There was a bright fire at the center of the town square and logs had been placed as chairs. Of course some would prefer to sit in the grass.
Reyna didn’t look as frightening as the Chieftain made her seem. She looked exactly like the inhabitants and even wore their clothing. She didn’t have much hair on her head (as expected). Ashuton sat on one of the log benches and Nyota sat night to him. She didn’t see no sign of Terpunku and honestly she didn’t want to.
“Reyna, why are you here?” Ashuton wondered to himself, “why are you here and not on Draconizica? If Canman found out you left…you will be in such trouble.”
When enough people gathered, Reyna began her story, “Tonight’s story is about the three dragonchildren: Kayla, Michaelangelo Jonas, and Frulean. I’m sure some of you have heard this story a few months ago. Tonight I will tell it differently.”
She stood by the fire and used her hand to change the images that the flames portrayed.
“A girl opened her eyes to the light
And a dragon egg lay beside her
The harsh forty-year winter was racking the land
And this girl, Kayla, had to keep this mysterious egg warm
She went to the village and up to the castle at it’s center
She hoped the king would help, but he turned her away
Saying there haven’t been Dragons in the land in hundreds of years
So this girl looked elsewhere while keeping the egg by her heart
The citizens didn’t want to bother
They called her a witch and the egg was her stone
They threatened to burn her if she didn’t leave
So she looked elsewhere
She consulted with traders whom gave her wool blankets
And old women in ruined dragonhouses would give her rags and blankets for the egg
The people of the village thought ill of Kayla
They called her a dolt, adolescent fool for caring for a rock.”
The flames acted as the screen to Reyna’s words. Nyota held tightly to Ashuton’s arm. Reyna changed her melodious singing tone to match the feelings being given off by the story.
“On her travels she met a young boy named Michelangelo Jonas
He showed interest in her egg and vowed to help her care for it
Together, with their hearts wide open, they traveled the nearby villages for more blankets
But the citizens were unwilling to help the children and did not want to give away their blankets, for they were afraid of being cold and dying in the harsh winter
Kayla settled her egg in the hollow of a tree where it was sure to be warm
And everyday she nurtured the egg with heat from her body
And Jonas would be right there to give heat from his body
Though it was tiring, they took turns watching over the precious egg
Jonas would care for the egg like Kayla had been doing
And although he questioned whether the egg was real, he continued to give it his heat
He hoped to see some spark of life form the egg, but it lay as dormant as a volcano.”
Nyota whispered to Ashuton, “is that story true?”
He nodded, “every word of it.”
The flames became bigger as more images were produced from Reyna’s words.
“The blankets they were using were not enough to shield they egg
And they themselves needed blankets to keep warm
With each passing day the forest became colder and colder
A Trader named Frulean noticed the two children huddled by the tree and asked them, “what is so interesting that you dare stand out in the blistering cold?”
Kayla and Jonas, whom had become extremely pale and frosty, replied, “it’s our egg.”
And with those words Frulean was drawn into their world.”
“What egg is that you are looking at?” asked Frulean.
“A dragon’s egg,” said Kayls, “I found it and Jonas is helping me care for it. We need blankets to keep it warm and healthy.”
“Well, I am a Trader, so I can help you.” said Frulean.
“As days went on they cared for the ancient egg
Frulean would give it as many blankets as she could
While Kayla and Jonas would warm it
But it was not enough
The egg was cramped within the hollow
So they placed it on the ground and laid down by it
As the winter became tougher the egg was losing it’s grip
So Jonas went to the city and asked for blankets and dragonstones
He built little houses, carried heavy bags, cleaned houses and drove carriages
Only to get small blankets or pieces of one
It was not enough to care for the egg but was enough to pull it through
Frulean and Kayla built fires, carefully positioning the egg high above it so only the heat’s fingertips could warm the egg.”
“But it was cracking along it’s sides from the harsh cold and was becoming like ice
The citizens hated Kayla for wasting all of the good blankets on the egg
Jonas prayed to the Gods to hurry the egg along the winter
The citizens would kick the egg, spit at it, and say vulgar things about the egg
Knowing how the world felt about the egg had hurt Kayla to her core
Knowing the hatchling inside might not rise, Kayla gave all her hope and faith to it.”
At times Jonas would question if he was dong right by Kayla
He had been tortured by the citizens and treated worse than Kayla
Sometimes he would say, “should I give it up?”
But he would say, “Kayla and the egg need us.”
Sometimes Frulean caught herself thinking, “is it worth it?”
Then she would know it was right
They gave all their blankets to the egg, growing stiffer and stiffer each day
A few times they gave blankets to the citizens that needed them
“Bless you,” the people would say to the children
But as winter became more cruel, Kayla worsened
The children felt their health deteriorate as winter progressed
On a cloudy day Kayla didn’t wake up
Kayla woke up but fell into Jonas’s arms, speaking of the sorrow of the world
When she closed her eyes Jonas knew it was it
Frulean tried to feel for a pulse, but the little girl’s body was too frozen for anything
Jonas screamed and cried at the loss of his only friend and questioned the purity of Earth
Was the world worth keeping alive if cruelty inhabits it?”
Following in Kayla’s footsteps, Jonas and Frulean continued to give the egg their warmth
In the middle of the night it started to crack on both sides
Jonas and Frulean gathered ‘round the egg
It cracked open, revealing a slender black dragonling with eyes of green colors
As the forty year winter started to close, the citizens realized the Dragon’s presence
People had came to give the dragon their cloth and blankets
And these people had been the citizens Jonas and Kayla had given blankets to
And these were the people that Jonas had helped
These were the people that he built the small houses for
They had put their prejudice aside to nurture the baby dragon
Everyday people would come with cloth for the dragon and Kayla’s frozen body
They began praising her and wishing to take back their harsh words
On the night of the Dragon’s Solstice, Jonas and Frulean carried Kayla’s body to the city
A fire had been constructed to warm her body
What surprised Jonas and Frulean was that the King himself made the fire for the girl
As the heat warmed her body, Kayla felt her body coming back to itself
And this fire would burn for many days to warm those whom were out in the Unforgiving
And the fire itself was a symbol of Kayla’s persistence,
Of Jonas’s diligence,
Of Frulean’s kind spirit
And of the dragonling that held on to life
The villagers kept nourishing the Dragon for seventy years
Until it became fully grown and was able to care for itself and the village
And this dragon became the village’s symbol of love
Kayla, Jonas and Frulean were also remembered as the trio of dedication
And statues had been built in their honor, and in the dragon’s honor.”
Everyone started clapping for Reyna. She took bows and said, “next week’s story is about the Dragons of Temptation.”
Nyota squealed, “I love that one!”
Ashuton pulled on the collar of his linen dress-shirt, “it’s hot out here.”
“it gets like that at night.” Said Nyota.
Ashuton headed for the field and was unaware of Nyota following behind.
Once he thought he was clear of any watching eyes, he switched to his dragon form and was readying for a test flight.
“Ashuton!”
Of course, the little girl had been watching him
He growled a bit, feeling agitated because he couldn’t fly off with her yelling at him
“What do you want?” he asked, his voice not the same as before.
“You…can talk?” asked Nyota.
Ashuton nodded, “Yes, I can. I hope you didn’t yell my name just to annoy me.”
Nyota replied, “I wanted to tell you that…once you’re in this village you can’t leave.”
Ashuton landed in front of her and asked, “why speak such absurdity? There is no invisible dome over this town. I can go if I please and right now I really need to.”
Just like that he turned and flew off. Nyota crossed her arms and watched as the dragon flew in the direction of the moon. She giggled as he bumped into the invisible wall. He landed next to her and shouted, “what the hell is this? Is this your idea of a cruel joke? My mother needs me, I have to save her before Monday!”
“Don’t yell at me!” she cried, “my father put a spell over the city!”
Ashuton sighed, “why would he do such a thing? I have to be out of here before Monday!”
“You have to tell him about it.” She said.
They could hear a strange assortment of sounds coming from in the forest
It was Reyna again, this time she was playing a guitar with a band of folk musicians
Ashuton and Nyota decided to join in the dance
There were faeries with glitter wings,
Little dragons with glowing stripes,
And of course the happy people
The song had a similar tune to one he heard before, Hartes ciel melenas walyase, by Shimotsuki Haruka
He hadn’t had this much fun since his sister’s birthday
He twirled Nyota like a spindle
And the two had a hop in their dance
The music got faster
And so did the laughter!
Nyota was enjoying herself
And so was everyone else
Bystanders clapped as the pace of the dance quickened
And at the end, Ashuton grabbed Nyota and performed a dip to finish off the night’s dance.
Everyone clapped for the dancers and Reyna’s singing
“Dragon!”
Everyone stopped, that was the chieftain speaking
Ashuton instinctively turned his attention to the chief upon hearing the word “Dragon”
“Yes?” make it quick, please.
The chieftain walked to him and said, “I see you have grown fond of the village. Since you are in our service, you are free to come and go from this village as you like. However, if you are gone for more than three days or do not respond to any of the flares we send up while you’re gone, you will not be allowed back here. Understand?”
Ashuton nodded, “um…perfectly…I think.”
Ashuton withdrew a loud yawn and said, “that’s enough partying for me. I am off to bed.”
“Why so early?” asked Nyota, “It’s only Eight.”
“Exactly!” said Ashuton as he walked off toward the cottage.
Nyota found no choice but to join him.
~Conversation~
Nyota had fallen asleep while she was watching Ashuton.
He took advantage of this moment to sneak out f the cottage
Nighttime was just as eerie as daytime in this village
The dragons that guarded the gate were not the same ones from earlier
They were bony, they had eyes of gold, and tall spikes atop their backs
He knew what type of dragons they were
He knew t keep quiet around them
There were distant roars of lions and the cackles of hyenas
Ashuton saw the lit candles that rested atop poles near the houses
And he saw the bones of the animal enemies lying around in certain places
There were little shrines resting on the highest hill
Ashuton’s curiosity led him to the hilltop
The writings on the stones were written by childish hands, and they read, “a shrine for the God of Dragons, in hopes that he will bless our village with dragons.”
His heart felt warm, and he couldn’t refrain from smiling.
He sat beside the little shrines and felt the wind blow through him
“If only they knew…” he whispered
The god of Dragons walks among them…
He left a small rose under one of the stones and continued on
He spotted Reyna sitting on the balcony of her treetop house
She blew smoked air from her lips and said, “well, well, the dragon god comes for a visit. How have you been, Ashuton?”
Ashuton shrugged, “Well, I…”
Reyna abruptly interrupted, “don’t answer that. Answer this: where is Seraphina?”
“She’s still with them.” He said.
Reyna’s eyes blazed with fury, “Still with them? You left her there?”
Ashuton replied, “She told me to! As much as I wanted to save her, I couldn’t. They had this new type of technology that created a firewall between my powers and myself. I couldn’t access them!”
Reyna sat on her chair and sighed, “come up here.”
Ashuton climbed the wobbly steps up to the balcony
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“I’ve always been here. I’ve been here since this village was created thousands of years ago. I followed Wilbur here. It was nothing but a vacant spot until we made something out of it. The inhabitants were all born here. They’re all my children.”
“That’s why they have the blood of dragons in them.” Said Ashuton.
“I’m surprised you never knew this was here.” Said Reyna.
“I’m surprised myself. I always come to Isola d’Elba in the warmtime, but I never spotted this village.” He said.
Reyna picked up a stick from a bucket and merrily threw it at the forest
She smiled at him and said, “Maybe the village opened itself up to you when you needed it most.”
“yeah, maybe…”
~Ohimesama~
Myriads of Dragons!
Myriads of Dragons!
The Vessel has blessed our village!
Rejoice!
Rejoice!
The Dragons have come to give us company!
Rejoice!
Rejoice!’
The Dragons have come! No longer will we be alone!
Ashuton sleepily opened one eye, and it took him a while to open the other
He yawned loudly and heard the loud singing of the villagers
“It must’ve worked.” He muttered.
He went outside and saw the villagers dancing with hundreds of dragons
These dragons came in various types and sizes
The biggest ones were sleeping or watching the merriment unfold
Nyota ran to Ashuton and tackled him with a hug
“Thank you, Ashuton. Thank you so much!”
He chuckled, “so the villagers got my package?”
“Yes, yes we did. A little Dragon showed me the rose and the note you left by the shrine. It said “For Nyota, from the Dragon God. Thank you!”
He unexpectedly kissed her on the forehead. She blushed and closed her eyes. His touch was very warm and inviting, “Anything for the Principessa of the village.” He said.
She drew back and looked at him suspiciously, “how do you really give birth to Dragons?”
“Nyota, we’ve been over this already!” he said.
“Tell me!” she said, almost shouting, “Are you a herma-herma-heramphrodyke? A shemale hefemale?”
He sighed loudly, “No. I am fully male. When in dragon form, I have the ability ot lay eggs. It does not work in human form.”
“Where do they come out from,” she made finger signs, “in dragon form?”
“It comes from a detachable second stomach and they eject from a tube that attaches to my lower body. There. Are you happy now? I told you my secrets, now go and enjoy the party.”
She clapped her hands, “okay, I will! my dad calls me Ohimesama because of the present you gave me!”
“That’s great.”
“It’s past great.”
Ohimesama…
It was a worthy title because now she was the Princess of Dragons
Ashuton saw the happy faces on the villagers and his sweet dragons
He went back into the cottage to rest a little more
* * *
Ashuton’s sleep was interrupted again
The first thing he smelt was strawberries
He saw her standing in front of him
But she…she…
“Nyota?”
“Um…I’m sorry if I woke you…”
“…where’s your shirt?”
“I…um…you were sweating so much and all the towels were drenched, I used my shirt to…”
“Put your shirt back on!”
She came close to him like a zippy honeybee, “why? Why should I put my shirt back on, Ashuton? What is it about me that you don’t like? Or are you afraid?”
She stuck her hand under the covers,
“don’t be afraid, dragonman. No one will know.”
The sound of her voice was haunting…otherworldly…
She whispers in his ear, “I’m here for you.”
“STOP IT!”
He pushed her off him, and she hit the ground with a thud
“Ashuton, I’m sorry.” She cried, “it wasn’t me, I swear.”
He gave her the shirt, “control yourself, Nyota. You are a Princess, don’t let the forces of your lust deviate your mind from your true self.”
He turned away and fell asleep an hour later
He didn’t hear a peep out of her
04: Drachenklausserung
Sithee gently stroked Albion’s hair,
Right now his anger and agitation was exceedingly high
And Sithee felt bad for anyone that dared to encounter him at this hour
“is that woman still alive?” he asked.
“Yes, and I sent him the message. It won’t be long before he comes.”
His tone hardened, “this had better work, Sithee, or you’ll be paying the price.”
She stammered, “s-s-s-sir, why would you even think I would try to betray you? I thought you knew me.”
He sighed and laid back in his chair, “Sithee, I cannot trust anyone these days, not with that dragon’s reach spreading. The only one I truly trust is Yuna.”
Sithee stopped and her stare was cold with malice.
She got off the desk and kicked her heels off, “Yuna. Pfft. She doesn’t even know you like I do.”
He looked back and sternly said, “Your right, she doesn’t, which is why I trust her.”
* * *
Sithee stood at the edge of the rooftop
Here she had a perfect view of the city in all its essence
She took a breath of the dragonpuff and sighed, “Isn’t it amazing, how the rural places and the high cities coexist on one planet?”
“Yes, it is.”
Yuna stood beside her with her own dragonpuff in-hand
“The rural areas tend to have more soul for people wanting to get away from everything.” She said.
Sithee lightly blew puffs of smoke that seeped from her mouth.
She turned to face Yuna and said, “I hear Albion trusts you and you only. I wonder why?”
Yuna put her hands on her hips and coolly said, “Well, maybe it’s because I’m not his fuck buddy on a daily basis.”
Sithee scoffed, “I have helped him more than you have. I should have his trust!”
Yuna sighed and walked past her, “Will you give it a rest! You don’t need the Black Dragon’s Trust to defy yourself.”
And with those words she left the rooftop
Sithee threw down her dragonpuff and growled
“I should have his trust…”
Having the Trust of the Black Dragon meant you were mentally connected to the creature and as a result you could have access to his powers. Such a connection is only opened if the Black Dragon “feels” in his heart that he can trust you, and in Albion’s case, he could only trust Yuna.
You may be wondering why you are now hearing about Albion being half dragon. It’s better to reveal it now than early. Albion was born on the dragon homeworld Draconizica, deep within the dragon central city on the planet. As he grew he had felt a deep hatred towards the Elders of the council. He felt their leadership was wrong and that the Vessel (the god of dragons) was wrongfully putting his trust in them. He started a few rebellions against the Elders and even started a group with a few thousand dragons and shared his thoughts with them.
When he was old enough, he left the planet for Earth in hopes of spreading his message to the dragons on there. But that’s when he met Aaron and when they became friends, Albion had thrown out his hatred towards the Elders. He fell in love with Aaron’s sister, whom was a direct descendant to Elder Mab of the council, they ordered that she be taken away from him. Their attempts to separate the many times had failed until Elder Hyu framed him for the girl’s death. Aaron didn’t know who to trust, but eventually he followed Elder Hyu. Since then Albion’s hatred for the Elders resparked, and he soon had developed a burning hatred for Aaron. On Draconizica, Albion does have another name: IN.sanE.
Sithee wanted to win his trust, but she knew that would be near impossible.
She wanted to see Antonin fall just as badly as Albion.
05: Rupture Journey
As of those that wish it so, he will only take those with the purest of heart. Our role in the Father King is the continuation of the flying creatures, and to better ourselves in him and the Higher One.
They covered his mouth to muffle his screams of pain
The knife pierced his arm and he felt his ears burn as the poison of the minister’s words tried to breach them. Wait…the words weren’t poison…it was the minister! The minister’s tongue was not worthy to speak the Hour of the Dragon God.
That is our caste within the dragon god. We are to balance out ourselves for the sake of acceptance.
Ashuton jumped up, his body temperature flaring again.
Nyota slowly opened her eyes.
She saw him sitting up in the darkness, panting and sweating from the realism of his nightmare.
She handed him to Rosenburry but he pushed it away
His temperature spiked higher than expected and his eyes turned yellow
She pinned him down and forced the Rosenburry into his mouth
He wanted to spit it out
He wanted to be done with it
He wanted his body to hurry up and heal
It never took this long before
Within minutes of ingesting the Rosenburry, his body started to cool down
His temperature regulated, his eyes were restored to their natural color, and he felt his nasal passages opening up
He took Nyota’s hand and whispered, “thank you.”
This time he kissed her without hesitation
The kiss didn’t last long, but it lasted just long enough for her to start missing him
The clock had struck twelve, which meant he had to go
He sat up, his sides still aching with a bit of pain.
She held his hand tightly and she asked in a tone of sadness, “Can I tell you a story?”
“Sure.” He said as he rubbed her head.
She maneuvered her way into the bed with him and she rested her head on his chest. She knew if anyone caught them like this it would be all over…
…She was starting to not care about them.
She only cared about Ashuton.
“This is the story of Death. My mother called it ‘the way we go.’ ”
Ashuton had never heard this poem before, so he was excited to hear it.
“Death was a nice old man
Death said to the young girl, “come home! come home!”
“Which way do we go?” she asked
Death showed her the passing cars and said, “That’s the way we go.”
Death was a happy old man
Death said to the young man, “come home! come home!”
“Which way do we go?” asked the young working man.
Death showed him the gun on the office floor and the rooftop of the building
Death was a preppy old man
Death said to the family, “come home! come home!”
The family of six had asked, “Which way do we go?”
Death showed them the stove, the car in the garage, the knives in the kitchen, the space heater in the corner, the overflowing pool outside, the train that passed by ever 15 minutes, the makeshift bomb in the basement, and the flames that mocked them from it’s seat on the candle
“So, which way do we go?” they asked
“I just showed you!” said Death
“And…?”
For once Death felt sad
They weren’t ready to leave yet although they wanted to leave
Death was a sad old man
Death said to himself, “come home! come home! come home to the ethereal. I’ve no owner.”
Death showed himself the door to the Ethereal, where he would become invisible again
And he would go back to covering the souls of those whom need it
And showing them where they ought to go.”
Ashuton felt a bit uplifted by the moral story
He closed his eyes, his body going back into the oblivion of sleep
Everything would start feeling hollow again as his body healed itself
Nyota pressed her nose against his chest and deeply inhaled
It would be her last time smelling this Dragon
So she wanted her last moments with him to last
“Nyota…why are you?”
It was Terpunku’s voice
He was standing in the doorway, looking confused and hurt
But that confusion and pain turned to anger
And that anger transformed into homicidal thoughts
“You…I knew you would betray me for that dragon! You just couldn’t resist, could you? You couldn’t wait to ride that damn beast!”
Nyota sat up, “Terpku, I never loved you. my father chose you, not me. I know your heart belongs to someone else, as mine belongs to him.”
“NO!”
Terpunku’s voice bellowed through the cottage
Nyota felt fearful of him
She held on tightly to Ashuton’s hand
“No, Nyota. I am not losing you to that Scalebreath.”
Scalebreath…Scalebreath…
“Hopefully now you will realize who you need to respect, Scalebreath.”
Ashuton’s eyes opened upon hearing the horrible word
Scalebreath was what Ida used to call him
She took pride in making his days a living hell
He sat up, his sides not in pain anymore, and he spoke, “watch that mouth of yours. If you were surrounded by Dragons, I would have had you mauled to pieces for using such a word in my presence.”
Terpunku scoffed, “and who the hell are you?” he withdrew a sharp knife and crept over to the bed, “You steal my girl, you party with my followers and you win the approval of the Chieftain and you still want more. You think just because you are free to leave whenever that it gives you the right to threaten me? You are mistaken.”
Ashuton’s temperature started rising and his eyes drifted from peaceful bright green to a devious red, “I’ve no time to be spending with an imbecile of your nature.”
He got out of the bed and headed for the dormitory.
Terpunku scoffed again, “you see that? That blood lizard…” he turned his attention to Nyota, “you are coming with me!”
He grabbed her by the arm and tried to run off but she screamed and tried her best to resist. He grabbed her by the neck and tried to drag her out.
Finally she screamed, “ASHUTON!!”
Terpunku could see a shadow on the wall
It had take his and mixed with Nyota’s
He looked behind him and Ashuton grabbed him by the neck
He raised him up off the ground with strength from his inner anger
Terpunku saw himself in the dragon god’s red eyes
Terpunku also saw his face and how fearful he looked
Ashuton spoke with the voice of his ancient self, “Leave this girl alone. If her heart does not desire you, then you must honor that.”
He threw the boy down and spoke to him for the last time, “If I ever see you put your hands on a female like you have done to her, I will have you hung by your innards and your head fed to my dragons.”
Terpunku was shaking all over
He backed away from the mysterious man
And standing in the doorway was none other than the Chieftain himself
“chieftain! Chieftain! That dragon must be banished! Did you see how he tried to kill me?”
The chief shook his head, “I saw what you did to my daughter. The dragon came to her rescue.”
Terpunku’s eyes were wide with disappointment
“You…you saw them! She was in bed with him! She’s clearly a whore! If you do not let me tame her she will sleep with ever dragonman she sees—”
The chieftain interrupted, “tame her? She is a human, not an animal! Terpunku Jeracova, I hereby annul your engagement to my daughter. You are no longer fit to be by her side.”
Terpunku got up and angrily walked past Ashuton and Nyota
“Doom will come to you, Nyota!” he shouted as he left.
“Humph. We’ll see.” She said.
She ran to her father and hugged him tightly
“Thank you for doing the right thing.” She said happily.
The Chieftain told her right then and there, “That does not mean you are free to marry the Dragon.”
Nyota’s happiness drowned in a sea of emotions, “What?”
“You committed the act of adultery while you were in a pending marriage.” Said the chieftain.
“I never did anything with him!” she shouted, “I only kissed him!”
The chieftain raised an eyebrow, “You dare raise your voice at me?”
“Your not being fair, Daddy.” She said.
Ashuton left to ready himself for the journey ahead
Nyota started crying as she watched him, knowing the horrible reality that they might not lay eyes on each other again.
* * *
At the gates of the city, everyone gathered to see the Dragon leave
Nyota held onto his hand for the longest, not wanting to give it up yet
He said his goodbyes to the villagers, and now here was the hard part
He turned to Nyota and felt tears forming deep within his eyes
“Nyota…I…”
“WAIT!”
Everyone turned their attention to Nyota’s friend, Crissy
She pushed through the crowds to reach the chieftain
“What is it, Crissy?” he asked with a groan.
She held up a strange-looking gold medallion that had two dragons on the front
“By order of Highmaiden Reyna, the Reaper Council hereby sends Nyota Gaizer on her first adventure: The Reaping of Dragons!”
some of the villagers started clapping
the chieftain, however, was unhappy about this
“What is the meaning of this?” he asked.
Crissy turned to everyone, “I’ll explain: when a girl in this village turns seventeen she must embark on a heroic journey. Reyna, the village High Priestess and Highmaiden has decided that Nyota Gaizer’s journey will be to follow and assist Ashuton the Dragon on his perilous journey to save his mother from the clutches of Lucerano!”
Crissy thought, boy, that was a mouthful
She looked back at the chieftain and smiled
Clearly Reyna had more power than he did because of her age and dragon-form
Word had spread amongst the villagers of Reyna’s might and power as a dragon god
So that automatically upped her ranks in the little village
Nyota smiled at Ashuton and said, “let me go get the stuff!”
* * *
Nyota came back out with her medicine bag, which was full of vegetables and roots
Ashuton held his arm out to her and she gracefully took him by the hand
The chieftain was growling under his breath
“She better be a virgin when you get back!”
Ashuton shouted as they walked off, “she will!”
Once they were clear of the village and deep inside the forest, Nyota started hopping and skipping and humming happy tunes
“You seem rather ecstatic.” He said.
“Of course I am!” she said as she skipped, “I’ve never been outside the village before!”
“Never?” he asked.
“Never!”
“Well, consider this to be your lucky day.”
“Where are we going?” asked Nyota.
“There is something I have to see in this area before our expedition begins.” He said.
Nyota enjoyed walking on this strangely sunny day
The feeling of forest dirt was very welcoming to her
And she would gaze at the forest branches that entwined and she would say, “isn’t the sunlight beautiful when it pokes through those trees?”
And he would answer, “yes, Nyota. The sunlight is beautiful.”
They came to a mysterious cave entrance
And this cave did not look very attractive on the inside
She held onto his arm, feeling not yet ready to brace the cave
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