Once upon a time, a long time ago and far, far away—
Or wait. Maybe it wasn't so long ago, or so very far away.
You see, this tale can take place at any time, in any location, under any circumstance. The children in this tale might be any children at all, although for the purposes of this story, they are four very distinct children indeed.
Well, not really children. All four of them are well into their teens; however, for the sake of keeping this prologue short, we will call them children, for in their hearts, that is what they all are.
These four children, prior to the events of this story, had never met, although some of them had heard of one another, in tales, or myths, or legends. However, before this story is over, all four of them will be connected to one another by unbreakable bonds of friendship, trust, and love.
Would you like to meet them?
Of course you would.
The first of them is a girl, eighteen years of age, who lives in a tall, sun-drenched tower in an eastern land, near a kingdom called Corona. This girl was born Corona's princess, but at a very young age, she was snatched away from home and family by a wicked witch who sought to take advantage of the magical gift the girl had been given by the power of a golden blossom that had grown from a drop of sunlight. Through the power of a song, this girl's beautiful yellow hair could heal any sickness or disease, or even reverse old age, which was the effect that the witch looked to abuse. Hidden away in her tower for her entire life, the young girl learned to call the witch 'Mother,' and had a single lesson impressed into her from the moment she was old enough to understand: she was never, never to go outside. Second most important: her hair was never to be cut, not even a little.
Now, the girl's seventy feet of hair trails behind her wherever in her tower she walks, and her one dearest wish is to see the world below for herself.
The second of our four children is a boy, also eighteen, although he's been eighteen for longer than he cares to remember. Actually, he's been eighteen for longer than he can remember. All he remembers about himself or his past amounts to rising from a frozen lake and staring up at the silver moon above. He knows that the moon called him, but for exactly what, he isn't sure. His only physical possessions amount to the jacket on his back, the pants on his legs, and the crooked staff that he carries everywhere and uses to work his icy mischief, spreading frost and fun to children wherever he flies.
The third child is another girl; sixteen this time, and from a land where clan is more important than anything, and honor comes right below that. Although she, too, is a princess, she knows her rank full well, and disdains it with all her heart. All princess-dom has in store for her is tight dresses and corsets, perfect manners, and marriage to some man she doesn't even know. She'd be much more content just to ride through the glens with her flaming hair let loose in the wind, firing arrows from the bow her father gave her as a child.
Her fate disgusts her, and she'd give anything to change it.
The last of these four is a boy, also sixteen. Where he comes from, the land is both cold and tough, and the people who live there are even more so. His culture is one that esteems only strength and prowess in battle, traits of which the boy possesses neither. He can neither lift nor swing a weapon, and his only reputation comes from bringing shame to his father, the most esteemed man in his village, and also its chieftain.
In addition, he's never killed or even fought a single dragon, which happens to be the variety of pest plaguing his specific area.
He has, however, managed to tame one. Not that it would be any benefit to him for his kinfolk to find out. They wouldn't understand why he chose to befriend this dragon, rather than kill it on sight.
All that the boy—and his dragon—want is to be free.
Now that you have been introduced to the creators of this tale (you'll know them by name soon enough; or perhaps you already do), it is time to begin their journey; a wondrous adventure filled with unexpected turns, chance meetings, narrow escapes, vicious conflicts, and the overwhelming power of friendship.
If you're ready… then let's be off.