Dragonborn…a race rich in history, but remembered only in traces of myth.
We know little of how we came to be, only that we are a mysterious fusion, a hybrid of man and dragon possessing magical strength beyond measure. Seven kingdoms, seven cultures, but all lived as one people. For countless millennia we lived in harmony, secluded from the rest of the Magic Web, content in our isolation. But, like any Paradise, a serpent soon arose to destroy our tranquility. That serpent was a race, a race of beings virtually identical to us, only instead of following the path of good, they walked in the shadow of evil.
So began a war, a terrible war…one which ravaged both our peoples until we were consumed by death. Driven to the brink of extinction, many of my surviving brethren scattered across the Magic Web, seeking a sanctuary where we could rebuild. For centuries they searched, scouring every path, every world. Just when we had lost any and all hope, an apparent accident brought one of my most trusted comrades to a world that seemed to be what we needed…a world known as Earth. But, unfortunately for us…we were already too late.
"Does anybody else hear that?" Adriane Charday looked around, taking in the surrounding forest scenery of Ravenswood. She, along with her fellow mages, was looking for who or whatever had come through the Ravenswood portal mere minutes ago.
"I didn't hear anything," said Kara Davies, her long blonde hair disturbed by the early evening breeze. "Lyra, did you and Dreamer find anything?" she called out telepathically to her bonded animal.
"Yes, we found our mystery guest," the cat's silky voice replied. "Trust me, you're all in for quite a shock."
"Where are you at?" Kara called back, motioning for Adriane and Emily to come closer.
"By Swan Lake, near the Topiary Garden," was the response.
"Well girls, Lyra and Dreamer found our uninvited guest," said Kara. "Let's hustle over to Swan Lake and see just who it is."
"Did she say anything else?" asked Emily, running a hand through her auburn hair.
"Yeah, she said be ready for a big shock," said Kara.
The girls hurried as quickly as possible to Swan Lake, finding the two bonded animals on the near shore of the lake. Just as predicted, the girls were shocked by the sight of the "guest."
It was about 15 feet long from the tip of the snout all the way to the tip of its arrowhead tail. Golden-copper scales covered its strong, agile body and its lean, muscular arms and legs. Its neck was slightly elongated, its toes and fingers were tipped with razor sharp claws, and it had two fin-like ears. A pair of powerful wings was folded against its back.
"It's…it's a dragon," breathed Kara, staring wide-eyed at the prone creature.
"You don't think it is dead, do you?" asked Adriane, looking at Emily.
Slowly, the healer mage approached the still form of the dragon. Her stone glowed brightly as she put a hand on its body. Focusing her magic, she locked onto the beat of its heart. It was faint, but steady. The creature had fainted from severe exhaustion.
"It's alive, it's just fainted," she told her friends. At that moment, she noticed something around the base of the dragon's neck. It was a glowing, golden-red gemstone set in the center of a simple silver choker. Curious, she reached out to touch it. Almost immediately, the stone reacted to her stone, giving off a blinding burst of light.
"What in the heck?" yelled Kara, shielding her eyes.
The light cleared and the girls looked again at the dragon. However, it was not a dragon lying on the ground anymore. Instead, lying in its place was an unconscious teenage boy with burgundy hair. This alone was a surprising development, but unfortunately for all of them, this remarkable transformation had occurred with the boy missing something very important. Namely, he was laying face-down on the ground as naked as a jaybird. Thankfully, even though the girls were too busy covering their faces, Lyra and Dreamer helped bring the unconscious boy into Adriane's home where his "problem" could receive proper attention.
"Well, that was awkward," said Kara, her face still flushed like her friends'.
All three girls were in Adriane's bedroom, looking at the boy who was now lying on Adriane's bed. He looked about a year or two older than they were, with a muscular build. The bangs of his hair fell across the right side of his face, giving him a mischievous look. His face was well sculpted, with fair skin tone. He was wearing a set of hastily conjured clothing: a sports jersey and sweat pants.
"First, he was a dragon, and now he's a boy," said Emily. "I wonder who he is, or what he is."
"He's certainly no ordinary dragon, that's for sure," said Adriane, watching the boy carefully. "More importantly, we need to figure out what to do with him."
"I say we hide him here," said Kara. "We're already hiding a bunch of magical animals here. Someone like him would fit right in, being that he turns into a dragon and all."
"That's fine and dandy, but what if he's found out when he's a boy?" asked Emily. "That will cause suspicion for sure, an unfamiliar kid running around in the woods."
"Excuse me," said a voice, "but I'd like to make a small suggestion."
"Yeah, go right ahe-," Kara's voice caught in her throat, and she and the others did a double-take at the now awake boy.
"Well, if it isn't too much trouble," said the boy, sitting up with his legs crossed Indian style, "you could tell me where it is I am." After being stared at for a few seconds without a response, he tilted his head and said, pointing to his mouth, "Hello, read me lips ladies!"
"It…I mean, he can talk," said Kara, almost as if she'd expected the boy to be snorting and growling. "He's gone from heavy and scaly…to handsome and talking."
The boy gave Kara an obviously irritated look, and said, "Well look at the genius here." He stretched his neck and asked, "Now, how about giving me my location so I can get my heavy, scaly, handsome body OUT of here?"
Emily nervously held up a hand as if to wave, but stopped when the boy held up his hand as well. He seemed to think it was a greeting, and Emily had a sudden urge to laugh when the boy somehow performed the Vulcan salute. "Umm…well, you're on a world called Earth, and this place is called Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve."
"Wow, that's a mouthful," said the boy, shaking his head. "Thanks for th' heads up, though. Now, let's get some introductions made here."
"Well, my name is Emily Fletcher," said Emily with a friendly smile. "These are my friends, Adriane and Kara."
"Welcome to Ravenswood," said Kara.
"Yeah, welcome," said Adriane, still eyeing the boy.
"Lovely bunch o' names, ladies, a lovely bunch indeed," said the boy, getting on his feet. "Now, permit me to introduce me'self. I am Breton Firebrand, Knight-Errant of the Dragonborn Empire. Please, just call me Breton."
"A knight-errant?" asked Adriane.
"Of an empire?" asked Kara.
"What's a Dragonborn?" asked Emily.
"Quite simply, a Dragonborn is a human-dragon hybrid," said Breton. "We can shift between human and dragon forms, we live for immensely long periods of time, and we possess immeasurably strong magic. Of course, I'd say you already guessed the transformation part," he added, rubbing his sports jersey.
The girls just blushed and avoided making eye contact with him for a few moments.
"Well anyways, far be it from me to impose on you lovely girls," said Breton, breaking the awkward silence, "but I was wondering if perhaps we could continue our banter over some sort of…snack."
"Oh, well I suppose so," said Emily, "wait right here." She got up and left the room.
"I didn't get a chance to ask her if she had any sheep," said Breton.
Kara and Adriane stared at him in shock. "You eat sheep!" exclaimed Kara.
"Kara, he's part dragon," said Adriane, "livestock is a delicacy for his kind."
"Very perceptive, Adriane," said Breton. "Yes, such things are considered the staple of a Dragonborn diet, but I'll eat anything you put in front of me. I'm not what you would call picky."
"Nice, but now I have a question for you," said Adriane, narrowing her eyes at Breton. "Why is it that we've never heard of Dragonborn?" she asked.
Breton's good cheer instantly left his face at that question. "Well, it's kind of hard to be a well-known race," said Breton, "when your kind has been relentlessly hunted and slaughtered for several millennia by a similar species."
It was as if Hell's heater kicked in when Breton said those words. Kara and Adriane stared at Breton as if he'd just described the Holocaust, and Emily was standing in the doorway, holding her backpack. "You…you're serious, aren't you?" she finally asked, her voice faint.
"Aye, as serious as a man can be," said Breton, nodding his head slowly. He looked at Emily, saying, "Wow, that didn't take you long, you must not have gone far."
"Well, my backpack was just out in the hallway," said Emily, handing it to Breton before sitting down. "Breton…tell us more about what happened to your people."
"They invaded our home realm several tens of millennia ago," said Breton. "The war was in their favor originally, but we took the upper hand for a while after that. Since then, it's just been a stalemate; the only thing we've been accomplishing is killing ourselves off." He let out a humorless chuckle before continuing, "It's sad really, having two races on the verge of dying out…and one keeps pushing the senseless killing onward."
"Breton, that's awful," said Kara, wearing the same expression as her friends: borderline crying. "So, does this mean you're the last of your kind?" she asked.
"No, no thankfully no," said Breton, "but I pray my comrades are looking for me. I didn't exactly leave a solid trail when I ducked through that portal to escape pursuit."
Adriane's attention snapped back into focus like a bullwhip. "Wait, what you meant by that?" she demanded.
"I was being chased by three of these things, we call them Dark Dragonborn, in a realm far from here," said Breton. "I was so desperate to get away I performed a blind portal jump without plotting a set course. Once I exited the portal here, I was so drained I only made it a few steps before I passed out."
"Are you saying you could be followed here if these…Dark Dragonborn find your trail?" demanded Adriane, leaning forward.
"Calm down there, Xena," said Kara. "The dreamcatcher will keep them out if they do try to get in. Besides, Breton just said it was a blind jump. That means he probably flew through a bunch of random portals just to get here."
"So true, Kara," said Breton, opening a bag of Doritos. "Believe me when I say my own mum couldn't have followed me. Your little petting zoo is safe for a good long while."
"I certainly hope so, or we'll really be in trouble," said Emily nervously.
"So, any more questions for me?" asked Breton, munching on Doritos.
"Are you really a knight?" asked Kara.
"Low ranking, but yes I am," said Breton between crunches. "In fact, I'm the personal knight-errant to the Imperial Prince Kyzerr Rexxahn."
"THE PRINCE!" all three girls exclaimed at once, nearly causing Breton to fling his Doritos everywhere.
"Tell us all about the prince!" demanded Kara, practically in Breton's face. "Is he handsome? Is he single? Tell us everything you know!"
"You better hope that Donovan doesn't know you're talking like that," said Adriane with a smirk.
Kara's mouth slowly closed and she slowly sat back down.
"Umm, the answer to your questions is yes," said Breton, still eyeing Kara nervously. "Don't expect anything from him, however. Kyzerr has had the toughest life of any Dragonborn who ever lived, so he's not very chirpy or social. The only bloke as gloomy as he is would be Moonscream."
"Who is Moonscream, another knight?" asked Emily.
"He's Kyzerr's sworn brother and bodyguard," said Breton. "Not to mention he used to a master assassin working for the Dark Dragonborn."
"So he's a prisoner who was offered a chance at freedom?" asked Adriane, quirking an eyebrow.
"Not at all," said Breton. "See, Moonscream was an outcast among the Dark Dragonborn. It's pretty common when you're a half-breed, because nobody likes you."
"By half-breed, do you mean he was only half of a Dark Dragonborn?" asked Kara, digging a granola bar out of Emily's backpack.
"Yep, his mother was a normal Dragonborn who we assume was taken captive," said Breton. "Unfortunately, after Kyzerr took him in as an ally, his treatment didn't get better. Normal Dragonborn hate him every bit as much as the Dark Dragonborn hated him. All he does now is protect Kyzerr and regard the world with hatred and distrust."
"Wow, the poor guy," said Adriane. "I have to say, I know how he feels. I was an outcast myself until I finally found my friends. Maybe it wasn't as serious as it was for him, but I know the feeling."
"So what about the prince then?" asked Kara. "Is he really grumpy as well?"
"More like cold, logical, and rigid as steel," said Breton, finishing off the Doritos. "So don't expect him to be all friendly and social if you ever get a chance to meet him."
"Thanks for the warning," said Adriane, grabbing a can of Dr. Pepper. "Well, we've asked you everything, but you haven't asked us much of anything."
"Well, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you girls do?" asked Breton, practically disintegrating the empty Doritos bag with a fire spell. "I'm guessing you're mages or something."
"That's correct, we're the ones who protect the home of all magic," said Emily. "It used to be a world called Avalon, but now it's here in Ravenswood."
Breton looked at Emily as if she'd confessed to being a goddess in human form. "You mean to tell me I just portal-jumped into the heart of magic itself?"
"That's basically it," said Adriane. "So now you know why all of us, especially me, are so concerned about the Dark Dragonborn finding you here."
"To tell you the truth, the Dark Dragonborn knew all about Avalon when it was around," said Breton. "They never bothered looking for it. It seems all they care about is wiping my kind out. Odds are, unless they've gone through a major mental evolution in the last couple of seconds, they won't care."
"They hate your kind so much they'd miss a chance to steal the heart of all magic?" Kara seemed to think this was the most absurd thing she'd heard…and that was saying something.
"Yes, I'm being dead dregging serious," said Breton, taking can of Dr. Pepper out of the backpack. He took a drink and stared at the can. "What in the name of Palaar of this stuff?" he asked, clearly fascinated.
"It's a soda," said Emily, "a popular beverage here on Earth."
"It's like the nectar of the gods condensed into a portable drinking vessel," said Breton, his amber eyes gleaming. "Boy, if we ever find ourselves a new home, we can stop migrating constantly and learn how to make this stuff!"
"Find a new home realm, what do you mean?" asked Kara, tossing the granola bar wrapper to the wastebasket.
"Well, when there's a war, things get destroyed," said Breton, leaning backwards slightly. "Simply put, our realm is a dead world now…and we left it so long ago we don't even know where it is now."
"So you're homeless, endangered, and outnumbered," said Adriane, counting off on her fingers. "It's amazing you stay so cheerful."
"Like most males, I'm a simplistic form of life," said Breton with a shrug. "I like to think of it as part of me charm."
"That's a good way of looking at it," said Emily, zipping her backpack shut. "Is there anything else you want to know?"
"Well, if it's not too much trouble with you ladies, I'd like to nod off for the night," said Breton.
"Well sure, we just need to find you a-," Kara started to say, but she stopped when Breton just flopped onto the floor, already snoring lightly. "Well, at least he sleeps easily enough," she finally said.
Just then Ozzie arrived, along with Lyra, Dreamer, and Tweeg. The fer-elf took one look at Breton and said, "Classic junk food coma, apparently."
"Never mind that," said Emily. "Did you find anything out about the Dragonborn?"
"Nothing useful, I'm afraid," said Tweeg, his leaves rustling. "I found enough information to write maybe two sentences, and it was nothing but myth and speculation. As far as the entire Web is concerned, the Dragonborn never existed as obscure fairy tales."
"So basically, if we want to know anything, we'd have to ask our guest," said Ozzie, rummaging through the backpack. "At least he didn't eat all the granola bars."
"We'll get more information soon," said Kara, "once his friends show up here."
"You sound really excited about meeting them," Emily observed.
"Well we're practically making first contact with an unknown race, it's a big event," said Kara, straightening her hair. "Besides, this could be a golden opportunity for you two to get boyfriends." She laughed while her friends blushed and glared.
Breton suddenly began to shift about on the floor, grabbing everyone's attention. He rolled over onto his back, turning his head side to side. His eyes were shut as tightly as possible, and he was making a faint whimpering sound. Not to mention he was giving off a powerful sense of terror that set Emily's heart racing.
Before anyone could say anything, Breton suddenly jerked up into a sitting position, screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs. His outburst was so sudden that everyone else, mages and animals, and even Tweek, all nearly jumped out of their skins.
Breton's head snapped left, right, up, and down in a panic, his wide-open eyes searching frantically for whatever unholy abomination that had awakened him. He finally noticed everyone else in a huge huddle, staring at him. "WHAT HAPPENED, WHERE ARE THEY?" he shrieked, his voice cracking.
"You were asleep for five seconds and something made you scream!" Emily replied, immediately going to his side. "You must have been having a nightmare or something."
"Nightmare…but it was so real, so vivid," Breton gasped, his hand clutched over his chest. "Dark Dragonborn all over the place, fires burning, and the screaming." He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. "Cripes, me heart's pumping like a rabbit's."
"Please tell me this isn't going to happen all night," said Adriane, clutching onto Dreamer.
"Could you possibly be even more insensitive," said Kara, frowning at her friend.
"Do you want us to stay with you until you fall asleep again?" asked Emily.
"Yeah, preferably in a different room," he said, getting up on his feet. "I don't suppose you've got any big empty space lying around."
"Sure, come with me," said Adriane, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the room.
"Well, I guess it's safe to say it's going to be a long night," said Ozzie, slowly releasing his grip on Lyra's neck fur.
Emily especially had to agree, not just because of the changes Breton was going to bring into their lives, but the fact that there was something out there looking for him. A whole mass of angry, evil Dark Dragonborn were out there, intent on killing him and the rest of his kind. Breton had said he'd eluded their clutches…but how long would it last? How long until the Dark Dragonborn came to Earth, bringing this blood feud with them, she wondered?
If she only knew that her questions would be answered very quickly…and she would NOT like the answers.