The Dragon King
"Make way for the Prince of Ghea! Make way for his royal highness, the King's son Allen! Make way! Make way!" The royal crier went ahead of the procession. The prince walked behind him, waving to everyone and leading his horse. He had just come from their neighboring country of Diemonre, which is over the mountains from Ghea.
There was a hag in the crowd. She saw the prince and instantly loved him. She followed the parade, and when they stopped for the Prince Allen's coming home party at the castle, she went up to him.
"My prince, as I have seen you in the parade, I came to love you. You say you love your people. Does this not mean that you love me, as well?" she asked.
Allen pondered this a moment. Finally, he said, "My faithful servant, I do not love you, as I would a wife, but more as a sister or friend. Therefore, I cannot return your love in the way which you wish me to."
This angered the hag, and she shouted, "Curse you! Before the midnight hour is over on the day of the celebration of your sixteenth birthday, you will become a dangerous and hideous beast, only to be returned to your previous form if a young woman comes and loves you as you could not see it in your heart to love me. They will banish you from the land, and I shall be avenged! The only way to prevent this is to search me out before then, and convince me that you were wrong to say what you did and that you really do love me." She cackled and then disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves. Those around them were shocked. Allen shook his head and told himself that it was just a dream and that he was the one that everyone was staring at. Nothing will happen to me, he thought. I'll be perfectly safe.
It was the day of the Prince's birthday celebration. Everyone was rushing around to put up the finishing touches on the decorations. The party was supposed to start at noon and last through the night, or until everyone went back to their houses. However, it took longer than they thought to get everyone there and settled and for the king to say a lengthy speech he had prepared in Allen's honor. It was nearly an hour and a half past noon before the actual festivities began. Musicians played lively tunes while couples danced. Food covered the entire banquet table, which was several feet long, and there was a constant and friendly buzz of chatter in the courtyard that was being used. Allen leaned against a wall, talking animatedly to his father and sister, Chaviva, about what had happened in Deimonre. His face fell as he learned of the things that had happened in the land during the month that he was gone. The last water reserves had been almost used up, and the whole country was suffering for it. The fields were dry, and the only water suitable for everyday life was beginning to come closer and closer to being too contaminated to use. The good news was that the royal investigators that had been put on the job of finding out what had caused the sudden shortage of clean water had found out that the cause of the water pollution was people dumping waste from privies and household chamber pots into the soil near their houses, and then that soaking into the soil and continuing into the underground water reserves that eventually connected to the river that supplied the people with water. Right at that moment they were working with the royal wizards to fix the problem already at hand, and then provide the people with an amulet that will allow them to transport the waste products to an uninhabited section of land that is nearly impossible for anyone to live in even before the people will begin to transport their privy contents there. The word to accomplish this would be engraved into the amulet, making it impossible to forget, so no one could use that as an excuse to continue dumping their waste in the yard. The ground of Ghea would be protected with a charm that would cause the waste to find its way back to the person who illegally dumped it, according to the law that would be made after all the precautions were put in place.
The party continued well into the night. It was still going on for about fifty people when the clock struck midnight. Everyone left stepped back in surprise as the leaves around a table rose off the ground and spun until a miniature tornado surrounded it. When the leaves fell back to their original place on the ground, they revealed the hag from a few days previous, standing on the table. She pointed one crooked, bony finger at Allen and croaked, "You did not come to find me. Therefore, you shall be punished!" She waved her hand and was gone.
The guests were silent and tense for a few moments, but when nothing happened, the mood relaxed. Somebody laughed. People began to move and the music started back up. Couples swept back into the center of the courtyard. Allen sighed, but his relief didn't last very long. He suddenly disappeared into a cyclone of leaves similar to that of the hags. The leaves cleared as suddenly as they had started, but the sight they revealed was not a pleasant one. Instead of Allen, a beautiful but dangerous beast stood in the courtyard. The hag had turned him into a dragon.
The king did not know this. He thought that the dragon was the hag, and that she had murdered his son. He grabbed a sword form a nearby knight, and, against the shouts of advice coming from those around him, swung the sword around and directed it at the dragon Allen.
It was the Princess of Diemonre, Clarissa's sixteenth birthday, but it was not a happy day for her. Her father, King David III had arranged a ball in her honor, and against her will, to try and find her a suitable husband. It was also the day when seven young souls were to make their way up the mountain to its highest peak, Mt. Selen. This was done once a year, usually during the summer, to keep the favor of the dragon that lived in a cave at the top. Seven commoners under twenty years were sent up to the cave for it to eat, instead of the livestock, or more citizens, the ones that meant more or even royalty itself. Their neighboring country, Ghea, did the same thing around mid-winter. Those sent had no idea what was going to happen when they arrived at the cave, but neither did anyone else, because no one had come back to tell what had happened, and they figured they had all been devoured, so it didn't make much of a difference, anyway. Princess Clarissa sat on a chair near the window, having donned a simple, yet beautiful blue silk summer gown which fit her slender figure perfectly, and accented her eyes, which were like the calm of the sea after a storm, and matched her golden-blonde hair.
A servant came in. "M'lady," she said. "Your father would like to see you."
Clarissa sighed. She knew what this was going to be about. "I'm coming," she answered, and followed the servant out into the corridor.
"My dearest daughter," the King boomed as Clarissa walked through the doors. Clarissa curtsied traditionally, not meeting her father's black eyes, which were cold and empty from a long time of caring for no one and nothing except Clarissa. Clarissa's mother, his wife, had caused that many years ago when she died of Scarlet Fever.
"You have probably guessed," her father said, his tone slightly lower, but not by much, "That I have called you here to make the yearly decision." Clarissa nodded, biting her lip to stop herself from screaming that this was stupid and she wouldn't tolerate or participate in it. "Good. Then we may proceed. As you know, this year is the year where the group is to consist mostly of young women. You will choose the women who are to go and I will choose the men who are to go, as is tradition. Those eligible are in the adjoining rooms. Let us begin." He rose from the throne on which he was sitting and went into the room on the right to choose his three victims. Clarissa moved into the left room to choose her four.
Normally, she chose those who looked the most miserable, the ones who looked like they wanted to go, but this time, she had a plan. She chose the four in the group who looked the most like her. Feeling content with her choices, she walked back into the throne room, her choices following her.
King David was already waiting, seated again on the throne. He raised his eyebrows at her choices, but said naught a word.
"I've chosen, father." Clarissa said with her face blank and her voice free of emotion. The king nodded, and put the two selections together. A group of four guards came in to take the sacrifices to the foot of the mountain.
Clarissa, now dressed like those going up the mountainside, followed closely, so closely that even her father couldn't tell if there was an extra person in the group or not, and he personally didn't care. One more person may ensure that that the dragon does not come down to feast.
Clarissa walked quietly with the group, keeping her face covered and her head down. She couldn't be recognized. It would ruin everything. She had to see it, and look into its cold, heartless eyes. She shuddered, but walked on bravely.
The party arrived at the foot of the mountain a few minutes later. Looking up at the mountain from its base showed that it was much larger and more rugged than it had seemed to Clarissa as she looked upon it from the window of her tower bedroom.
They left the guards behind them at a gate at the base of Mount Selen. The climb to the top was long and hard. Even those in the group who were used to work were having a difficult time keeping up.
Clarissa wondered what waited for her at the top. As they neared the cave to which they were headed, she heard a tremendous roar, but not of the type she had been expecting to come from a dragon's cave. It was the noise of celebration. Laughter and cheers emitted from the enormous room. The eight of them walked in to tumultuous applause. Everyone who had been sent up in the past years was there, perfectly happy and looking more healthy, excited, and full of life than they had down in Deimonre or Ghea. There was much food and drinks, offerings sent up and kept fresh in the strong magic surrounding the place. But Clarissa wasn't looking at these things. She was looking at the dragon. He, too, wasn't as she had expected. He was smaller than she had thought, and his eyes were kind and youthful, not cruel, cold, and wise as she had presumed. He seemed almost human. She stared for a long time before she realized that it-he-was staring back. She felt something in those eyes that she had never felt before, warm and gentle, almost soothing. She enjoyed it, even if she couldn't quite put her finger on a name for that feeling.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Turning, she saw a face she had believed she would never see again. It was her old nurse, who had been eighteen when she had been sent up the mountain. She was older now, but the face was still the same, still kind and caring and gentle.
"Nurse!" She cried, throwing her arms around the woman.
"My dear Clarissa," she replied, hugging her back. "It has been to long. But how did you end up here. Surly your father didn't send you!"
"No." Clarissa sighed. "I chose to come here." When her friend raised her eyebrows at her, she said quickly, "I wanted to see the dragon!"
"Not what you expected was it, dear?"
"No, not at all. I expected to have been dead by now. I'm not sure if it's better this way or not. Now I have to go back and face my father." Clarissa sighed.
"Well, you have to stay here for now. All of us do. It's for him, the dragon. You see, if we all came crashing down the mountain, the two Kings would know that the dragon wasn't ferocious, and they wouldn't be frightened anymore. They'd come up here with weapons and kill him. It's for his protection, payment for the kindness he's shown to us."
"I see." Clarissa thought for a moment, and then went back to staring at the dragon which was now picking at some of the food. When she looked away to get her own food, he stole a glance at her. She was so beautiful. He knew who she was. From his cave and with his enhanced dragon eyesight, he could see her in her tower, staring up at him, though she couldn't see him looking. In his mind, he sighed. It had been so long. He wanted to get out, but no one could help him. By now, he had given up on finding anyone who could release him. He sighed again, and then looked at Clarissa again.
Four days had passed. Seven search parties had been sent out to find the King's daughter, Princess Clarissa, each to one of the seven regions of the land of Deimonre with orders to not come back until they had found her. None had yet returned. It had not even crossed his mind that she might have gone up the mountain. He, who had not been paying attention to Clarissa in the slightest, thought she had been perfectly happy here and would have no reason to run away to a place where she would throw away her life going there.
Meanwhile, Clarissa was having a wonderful time, feasting and getting reacquainted. Her face lit up even more, if possible, when she remembered that she no longer had to go to that ball which she had been dreading so much. Of course, her father could reschedule it, but she chose not to think about that at the moment. Instead, she thought of the dragon. They had found a way to talk to each other. Apparently, he could hear and understand the common tongue, and the two of them had composed a sort of sign language for him to use. He had told her that his name was Allen of Ghea. He had been put under a spell by a hag seven years ago, on his sixteenth birthday. He wouldn't say why, or by whom, or even who his parents were. Enjoying the mystery, Clarissa didn't think on this much.
A couple days later, Allen was standing in the entranced to the cave. Clarissa came up beside him.
"You miss them, don't you," Clarissa said, cautiously. "Your family, I mean."
He nodded. That meant yes.
"I don't miss my father, or at least, not anymore. We used to love each other and have fun with each other. But now, since my mother died years ago, he doesn't pay attention to me. Now he just tolerates me and, most of the time, he pretends I don't exist. I think I remind him too much of mother." She sighed, thinking back on the times when her father used to lift her up into his arms and swing her around. She almost smiled as tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She wiped them on her sleeve quickly.
Allen grunted and lifted up his front left paw. I'm sorry
"Of course, you understand. I'm glad I can talk to you. I've been so lonely." Secretly, she thought, if I could marry him rather than one of the stuck-up, spoiled nobles that Father is bound to chose, I definitely would. She did not yet know the full extent of the spell. Allen had not told her about the cure for the curse for fear that she would turn against him, thinking this was all a plot to make her love him just to get him out of this form only for him to marry another. She's already been through trauma enough to make her head spin, Allen decided, and kept that part to himself.
One of the guards was on the far side of Mt. Selen. He figured, being smarter than King David, that maybe she had gone there because it was neutral territory. He was halfway up the mountain when he saw lights and heard noises coming from the dragon's lair. Creeping up beside the cave, he peeked in and saw the constant celebrations. The dragon and the princess were dancing to magical music somewhere in the middle of the cave. They were an odd looking couple, and they had to revise the dance to accommodate the dragon, but it was still a lively and passionate one. The guard, running, went to report back to the king.
When the king heard the news that the dragon had his daughter, but wasn't fearsome, he balked at the chance. At his command, fifty riders with their armor, weapons, and horses were summoned up as quickly as possible. With him at the lead, King David rode with his men to the top of the mountain.
The one who saw the group coming was Clarissa, and she ran to warn everybody. The men in the group stood in the very front, Allen right behind them, the women behind them. Clarissa was given the high seat of honor on Allen's back. From her perch, she watched as the men in front of Allen fell one by one. It was an unfair match. King David's men came with shields and weapons. Allen's men only had their hands and some sticks they had found on the ground, but they put up a heroic battle none-the-less. Slowly, the royal infantry progressed towards Allen. Even when they approached him, swords raised and began they attack, and even after the first trickle of blood ran down his foreleg, he would not even move, except to protect Clarissa. No matter what the knights did, they couldn't get to her.
In the midst of the battle, Clarissa slipped of Allen's back. She ran around the fight until she was behind it where she couldn't be seen. From that position, she took a sword from one of the knights and with it stabbed her own father in the leg. King David screamed in pain, and then passed out from the shock. Without the King to shout out orders, the soldiers fell out of formation and scattered. Clarissa rushed to Allen, pausing only for a moment to check that her father hadn't died.
Allen was in shambles. He was bruised and bleeding. He had not even strength enough to stand. Clarissa knelt down to hug his neck, crying.
"Please, don't die," she whispered into his ear. "You were so brave. Don't die on me now. I-" she faltered. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she continued, "I love you. Please, stay awake, please. I need you. I don't care if you're a dragon. I'm not leaving your side."
She remained there, weeping, until there came a flash of light so bright that it was unbearable to look upon it.
When it was all over, Allen the Dragon, wounded and nearly dead, was no longer there. This only made Clarissa weep all the harder, for now she thought that she had lost him for good. But then, a handsome rider on a white stallion galloped up to the entrance of the cave. Clarissa was sure she had never seen this man before, yet, somehow, he was as familiar to her as an old friend. He went over to her, smiling, and knelt down before her to look her in the eyes. In those eyes, she saw memories, and she also saw her one true love.
"Allen!" She cried.
He laughed as he stood, reached out his hand, and pulled Clarissa up into a deep, passionate kiss. Those of the men who had served and protected her and who were still conscious whooped and the women behind them clapped and cheered. Even Clarissa's father saw the kiss, regaining consciousness at the very end. The two drew apart, only to come back together again to kiss again. King David's heart was touched and he again remembered what it was like to love. For the first time in years, he smiled, and Clarissa noticed.
With Clarissa in front of him, Allen rode the stallion down into Ghea. His sister was just about to choose an heir for the kingdom when she saw Allen and recognized him.
"Allen?" she asked, quizzical. "Is that really you?" Allen nodded. "Then you must be our king." When Allen looked back at her, shocked and confused, she answered his unspoken question. "Father is dead, Allen. He died during the night."
Clarissa held Allen as he grieved at his father's death, but he did not have long to grieve. There were injuries that needed tending. King David was sent to the royal physician. The men were sent to the normal castle doctor.
The first order of business was to bury the old king, but that was a short and sad occasion, but more joyful ones followed it.
Allen and Clarissa were wed, that very day on the castle steps. What followed was a long and harmonious relationship. Allen's coronation was also that day, and all the people came to watch. King David gave the couple his blessing and his thanks.
The hag was never seen again. No one knows where she is, but some say she moved to the old cave high on the mountain, grieving over the loss of her love and cursing the one who took him away.