The First Dragon
Even as the bodies of her people fell around her, she could not draw her attention from the man who had stood before her. She knew, from the moment she looked into those mismatched eyes, that he was to be her doom. However, she did not flinch as he gazed at her, the fire burning all around them and within his eyes. She had watched, almost amused that this was to be her fate .He had killed her parents and siblings, her friends and neighbors, but she was his. He smirked from his fiery height, the same thought seeming to have crossed his own thoughts.
"You will serve me for the rest of your existence, Mystic. You will live to serve me." He looked at her with that intense stare she had now grown to know so well, and she could not help but feel drawn to him, like a moth to the flame. She knew she would get burned and fall to her death in his blazing glory, but there was no hope for it. His eyes lit up with an almost maniacal glaze as she responded.
"Yes, Lord Folken."
Now, she stood in the hall, her song long since ended, her fall an imminent and at hand. Lord Folken had dismissed her, after the years they had been together, he said she was free. A smile flittered across her face, brief and bitter. Both knew that she would never be free from him, never again able to walk amidst the people of Gaia without him being there by her. But, it was fate that had brought them together, fate that doomed them to death.
Flashes from the storm outside mingled with the red haze of fire below, masking the usually soft blue light with a glowing crimson. She looked down at her long white fingers, bracelets tinkling softly with the movement. They were dyed red with the light, coloring her skin the color of blood.
"Soon," she whispered in the silence that belied the actions going on within the fortress. She closed her eyes, trying to will away the memories that threatened to break her still manner. It was fitting, though, to think of how they began as her end drew near.
"I have had a vision. I will serve death, and I will summon gods at my whim. All who attempt to stop me will fall. We'll all fall, burned by the brilliance of our dreams. I will knowingly choose this fate." Her mother said nothing, simply watched her daughter as they did their chores side by side. Sora, a young girl of eight, went on without looking up from the bread she kneaded.
"I have seen his face, Mamma. He has such cruel eyes. But I saw him, and I will follow him when he comes." Her mother continued her task, although she spoke a bit gruffly when she replied.
"Are you so sure, then? If he is not one of us, then he will hate you, child. He will hate you, and he will use you. No one comes to us unless they want something." She had turned to her mother then, smiling softy.
"I know, Mamma. I will do what I can for him, because I want him to be happy. It is my wish to see him smile for me."
She let out a soft, derisive laugh at the memory, although she did not smile. She had yet to see him smile, or to make him happy. Before his death, though, she would see to it that he would feel a but of happiness, no matter how fleeting.
A loud crash resounded throughout the chambers, and the ground actually shifted beneath her feet. The dragon bones beneath her roared in their silent sleep, calling for the blood that pulsed so close by. She smiled to herself then, and looked to the frozen beast below her.
"It is time, then." She took a step, and then another. Walking slowly, she took the path Death had laid out for her, doors opening as she stepped over the threshold. Even as she attempted to clear her mind of the memories that plagued her, she could not help but recall.
He stood before her, on that fiery perch, looking down at her as though not believing what he saw. He laughed, even, watching her closely.
"You are not afraid of me, girl?" She watched him impassively, meeting his gaze evenly, despite her young age of fifteen. She was dressed only in her simple sleeping attire, as the attack had come during the night, but it didn't matter. He could see everything about her, whether she wished him to or not. She allowed a small smile to pass her unwavering countenance.
"No." He laughed at this, amusement coloring his reply.
"I am Lord Folken of the Black Dragon Clan. You should fear me, because I could crush you with the merest thought." To illustrate his power, she felt herself lifted from the ground, and brought to hover before him at eye level. Even with her feet dangling a good foot above the ground, she uttered no sound of fear. She knew that this was fate.
"You won't hurt me, Lord Folken." He stopped his laughter, once again gazing into her eyes. She took the time to do the same thing, since this would be one of the few times she would ever look at him directly.
They were beautiful, despite or perhaps because of their irregularity. An amber eye glinted of intelligence, wisdom, and a cautiousness in his manner. The ruby of the other spoke of a blood lust and hatred far deeper than any grudge; of a tenacity willing to risk everything to gain what he wanted. He was a demon, a dragon, tamable to no one.
And she was his.
She stilled the memory as she walked down the hall, passing the corridors with a steady, even pace of one resigned to her fate. Another memory tugged at her, and she let it come to the surface with a sad smile.
The young boy lunged at the bars again, snarling like a wild animal. She looked upon him impassively, fearing nothing of him. The guards had all but fled the prison, muttering under their breath about the demon Lord Folken had found in the wild land. He did look inhuman as he was; his silver hair falling into those wild garnets filled with hatred. Blood from where he'd worn his skin raw marred his otherwise perfect body, giving him the image of a blood stained ghost, seeking revenge for his imprisonment.
She allowed him to wear himself out, then watched as he sat down, defiance and hate still in his stare. In the shadows of a nearby cell, the children that had been caught with him whimpered, uneasy to see their leader so broken and defeated. They had defended him honorably, or so she had heard. It was probably the reason they were alive still; Folken knew that loyalty like that was hard come by, and by controlling their leader, he controlled them. It was only a matter of time before the boy-demon would come to realize this.
She raised an eyebrow at him, although neither spoke. Instead, she went to the other cell, and gazed upon the boys that huddled in the corner, the scent of blood and fear filling the stagnant air. She smiled at them, calming them with her quiet presence and softened gaze. All eyes were on her, and the tension began to recede, if diminutively. A few of the braver ones actually smiled back at her, warming her inside, though her smile did not grow.
Her eyes fell upon on of the smaller boys, his blonde hair messy with blood and dirt. His eyes, however, spoke of intelligence and understanding. He rose and came to the bars, looking up at her with a slightly awed expression on his face. His voice was soft, but deliberate.
"It's true, then. Lord Folken took one of us to be his mystic. You were there when he killed everyone?" His face didn't register anger, although it was an undercurrent in his speech. She did not flinch, knowing that her words would mean everything.
" I serve Lord Folken because he is strong. It is my destiny to follow him, as is yours to follow your own leader." Her gaze shifted from the young boy to the demon in the other cage, his body a white smudge on the edge of her vision. Their eyes caught, and she shivered, despite her resolve to remain strong for Lord Folken. She did not break contact, however, and he was the one to turn.
Back to her and his followers, he stared up at the tiny barred window above him. His voice was raspy from his screams and curses, but it still held the sharp bitterness and power that belied his young age.
"Tell your master that I will serve him, and my men will serve me. If he is strong, then he has my loyalty." She let herself feel a thrill of victory, but it was short lived when he turned around to face her fully. He was proud, and despite his injuries, he had an inner strength that kindled the flame that glowed within his burning orbs.
"Warn him, though. Dilandau Albatou will never serve someone weaker than himself. If I become stronger than him, I will kill him."
'Ah, Dilandau, you never did stop trying, did you? You fought your harness, even though it was your fate to fail each time you tried. Where are you now, I wonder? ' She paused in her steps, glancing out one of the tall windows that lined the corridor at the destruction below. Destruction both the white dragon and Dilandau had caused. She shook her head sadly. Fate could be cruel to those who were simply pawns.
"Why don't you come with me?? Forget him, forget this prophecy bullshit, forget everything and come with me! If you don't, you're going to die! Folken knows he's going to lose the war and die, so why can't you get it through your head that you're not bound to him? He allows you to come and go as you will, but you keep coming back! Do you want to die?" She didn't flinch as he gripped her shoulders, breath hot on her face. Only when he tried to kiss her did she move her head from his lip's closeness, and he pushed himself up, growling under his breath. She watched him as he paced up and down the room, glaring at her with those intense eyes that always seemed to burn her from within. Mutely, she poured him another glass of wine, handing it to him as he ranted.
Even after she'd refused his advances time and time again, she still stayed with him. When he returned from battle, worn and injured, she would tend his wounds. When he was writhing from the 'lessons' from Folken, she would comfort him as best she could. She would never love him in the way he wanted her to, but that did not mean she did not care for him. He was brave where she was timid; he was rash where she was introspective; he was loud and coarse where she would use silence as her weapon. Opposites, and yet drawn to each other. Fate was a harsh mistress, indeed.
He sighed, throwing himself into the chair across the room, back to her as he sipped the vino. She moved the bottle to the table beside him, then headed to the door. His voice was soft, but the bitterness was there all the same.
"Tomorrow, I receive the power of the Gods with the Alseidies. When I have killed the white dragon, I will be stronger than Lord Folken. And then, I will kill him." She paused on her exit, back to the room.
"Perhaps that is his fate, to die by your hands. But I will not leave him." He let out a laugh, and the silence filled the room again. She turned to look at him, but he hadn't moved. A fleeting bit of apprehension filled her, and she stepped back into the room.
"Dilandau...?"
"One way or another, Tomorrow, I will leave this place. By death or otherwise, I swear I will be gone by sunset. And you will be trapped here, to serve an insane Lord for the rest of your life." Her voice held no emotion; she had known long ago he would one day escape the leash Folken had used to hold him in his place. She turned, and exited with the last words he would hear her say.
"Then I bid you farewell, Dilandau Albatou. May the Gods keep you safe."
Halfway down the corridor, halfway to her death. She knew she had time to flee, time to find Dilandau and let him take her away from the palace before it fell to the city below. Even as she thought that, she dismissed it. This was her fate, and she would face it with a smile.
However, as she neared the length of corridor where Lord Folken fought with his brother, she closed her eyes as a shuddering sensation flowed through her body. She knew without having to see what had happened that Lord Folken was dying.
Sure enough, as she continued her deliberate walk to her end, Lord Folken's body lay in a pool of blood, the body of a dogman in Dragonslayer uniform nearby. She quickly assessed the situation, and allowed herself a grim smile of irony. Dilandau had been Folken's end after all, then. The dogman Jajuka had always been fiercely loyal to his General, and cared for Lord Folken very little. That hatred had driven him to accomplish the task that Dilandau himself could not perform; the death of Lord Folken.
She stopped by the body of her fallen Lord, feeling the air fill with the raw energy of the gods. The gods which she herself had summoned, which she herself had the power to control, which she alone could ask one last favor.
She smiled softly at the two lovers who stood before her. Their fate was an impossible love, one continued despite the distance between both hearts. Perhaps, when the girl had time to realize the powers within herself, they would be reunited. But, theirs was not a story in which she had a part anymore. The call of her doom pulsed in her veins as the power in the air gravitated to her, the true Goddess of Wings.
"Please Leave, both of you." They stared as she stood there, the ribbons of energy flowing towards her. She smiled at them, continuing.
"Because Lord Folken is gone, the fortress will fall. Please use your wings, and fly away from this cursed place." The girl stepped forward, amazement in her eyes. Sora had to admire the strength she saw building in the girl, and the change that made her so different from the child she had brought to Gaia. The girl spoke in a tremulous voice.
"But... what about you?" To that, the mystic smiled, watching the lovers as they stood. Perhaps if fate had not been so cruel....
"My wish is to stay with Lord Folken."
When the two were gone, she moved to the body of her lord, turning it over to place his head in her lap. Despite the wound's severity, he still clung to life, though barely. His eyes were misted over as he looked unseeing up at her.
"...Wing Goddess...?" She shook her head, brushing away the locks of hair that fell across his face.
"No, Lord Folken." The mist lifted from his eyes, and they widened before closing.
"Sora... You were right, then. Are you happy, now that you got to see my death? It will be soon, and then you will be free." His breath came in rasps now, and he began to cough violently. Sora stilled his movement with a touch and a soft spell to ease the pain. He opened his eye, still clinging to life.
"You could have gone with him. He would have taken care of you. Why...?" She ignored him, instead concentrating on the power that flowed within her body. Bringing him closer to her chest, she cradled him as she spoke aloud to the Gods.
"I have made my wish, and you have heard it. Grant it now, and then leave us in peace."
A blinding flash of light and the fortress was destroyed. As the rubble fell from the sky onto the people below, feathers danced in the sky, a symbol of what was lost to gain what had always been wished for.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Far from this declaration of the Gods' powers, he awoke. She had laid him out on a simple straw mat, covering him with a coarse homespun blanket. She sat beside him, watching him intently. He tried to sit up, but she held him down, bringing the blanket back up to his chin. He squinted in the relative darkness of the room, confused and uncertain of everything. He could have sworn he knew the woman who sat before him, but the dark hair that framed her face jarred a memory of a woman much like her, but with silver locks.
"Who.. Who are you?" She said nothing, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently.
"I am yours, my lord." He frowned at the riddle she spoke, but then it deepened as another thought crossed his mind.
"Who am I?" To that she smiled.
"You are the first dragon. You are mine." His eyebrow raised at that, simply because he had no memory of ever swearing himself to anyone, let alone this strange woman who spoke in riddles. She seemed to read his thoughts, for she shook her head, the smile still on her lips.
"The gods granted my wish, and brought us here. In return, I am now human. You will remember in time, my lord." She ran a hand through his short blue hair, running her fingers over the spikes that had formed. He gazed at her for a moment longer, then something came to him.
"Sora." She looked surprised that he had remembered, but nodded all the same. He continued, looking into her eyes again.
"I am Dune." Those eyes he watched sparkled with some emotion he could not place, but she answered him this time.
"Yes, my lord." He continued, searching for more memories as he went.
"You saved me." It was a statement, not a question, though she nodded none the less.
"You love me. Why?" She smiled, kissing his cheek softly.
"You are my fate. You were my downfall." He flinched at that, but she stilled him, looking into his eyes, willing him to believe her.
"My beloved, you were the first dragon." He looked at her in confusion, so she sighed, kissing him cheek again.
"You will understand in time. For now, rest." She smoothed out the blanket, and then began to sing.
Win dain a lotica
En vai tu ri
Si lo ta
Fin dein a loluca
En dragu a sei lain
Vi fa-ru les shutai am
En riga-lint
1. Win chent a lotica
En vai tu ri
Si lo ta
Fin dein a loluca
Si katigura neuver
Floreria for chesti
Si entina
La la la la la la la la la...
Fontina blu cent
De cravi esca letisimo
La la la la la la la la la...
De quantian
La finde reve
Win dain a lotica
En vai tu ri
Si lo ta
Fin dein a loluca
En dragu a sei lain
Vi fa-ru les shutai am
En riga-lint
Translation
You were the first dragon
My beloved
I've been watching you
From atop the fairy stump
1. How beautifully did the water touch those lips
How you shone at the spearhead of battle
La la la la la la la la la...
Because you flew away
The sky is unseen to me
Let's just sell this spinning-wheel
So everything will be illusion
My beloved
You were the first dragon
High above them in the sky, the Mystic moon glowed brilliantly one last time, before fading into the night sky.
~Owari~
...Well, that was trippy. I think most of it sucked, except for the parts about Dilandau. Yay Dilandau!!! ^_^ Of course, I'd love to hear your opinions on it, so write me a review!
The last part made no sense, but that's ok, right? Right... Anyway, please review!!
Note: Lyrics are taken from the "Tsubasa no Kami: An Escaflowne Movie Shrine"
If the above link doesn't show, the url is www.Lizzard.net/Escaflowne/ If you have problems with either link, email me and I will send it to you.