Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original Dragonheart characters. I do
however, own Tara, Delcor, Mira, and Kirali
Litwolf689's authors note: Wow, I can't believe that I'm actually getting a chance to write this story. @_@ I have so many ideas running around in my head but not enough time to write them all down. Though this is going to be a one-shot fan fic, it is going to have two chapters... is that possible? Oh well, I hope you enjoy it! Please review!
New authors note: well I hope all of you out there are happy now, because I changed the names. Many people did not like the names because they were too human, so I changed them. I kept the name Tara but I changed the others. I used the human names because I have a terrible time coming up with names so I just use human ones or borrow them from another author. Thanks to my friend, Prince Tin Lizzy, for helping me come up with the names. I hope you enjoy this new version with the new names. Enjoy!!!
"Character Speaking"
~~~ Change of POV (Point of View) ~~~ ^*^* Change of Scene *^*^
Reunions and Partings Chapter 1: Peace at Last By Litwolf689
Draco struggled to get the chains off of him. He finally collapsed after going a straight hour of fighting the chains. He lay on the floor and angled his head, trying to get some glimpse of starry night sky.
As he did, Draco could not help but let memories of his past float up to him...
~~~ Draco's POV ~~~
Memories of my past flashed before my eyes...
I saw the cave where I had been born and where I lived with my mother Mira, my father Delcor, and my younger sister Kirali; the cave where I had met Bowen. I saw days where Kirali and I played in the waterfall and when we lay beside our mother while our father told us stories.
Then, I saw the time where my life had been destroyed. I had been out playing with friends and had stayed out later than I had promised my parents. As I approached the cave, a horrible smell floated out to me... the smell of my family's blood.
I charged in and found two dozen human hunters and the bodies of my mother, father, and sister. Mad with grief, I killed all the humans.
After that, I buried the bodies of my family and then stayed in that cave for years. I only went out to hunt. My friends came down and tried to help me but I refused to leave. I had been so wrapped up in my sorrow, thinking it was my fault.
Finally, my friends just shoved me out of my cave. They shoved me into the sky. I flapped my wings but was surprised when I realized I had forgotten how to fly. After a few more tries, however, I finally got the hang of it and soon, I was flying and having a great time with my friends again.
They told me my family would not have wanted me to wallow in my sorrow forever, but to live my life to the fullest.
And I realized that they were right.
A few years after that, I was hanging with my friends when we saw some female dragons. As we talked and got to know the females, my eye kept landing on one female... and I could not help but realize that she kept looking my way too.
I did not follow her, though. I was still afraid to get close to another dragon and then lose them.
But, she followed me.
After I had said good bye to my friends and settled down into my cave, I heard something outside. I figured it was some animal and ignored it. But, she called out to me.
I tried to get her to leave, but, no matter how many times I shouted at her or just plain ignored her, the female would not leave. When I went out the next morning, however, she was gone.
After that, every night she came around. She would talk to me, she would sing, sometimes she would do nothing but sit out there and I could feel her eyes prying into the cave. Every morning, she would be gone.
Finally, a terrible rain storm came one night. I thought she would not come, but she did. I could not bear the thought of her being out there, alone and getting soaked by the cold rain, so I called her in.
The female had come in with a triumphant smile on her face as she shook the water off her.
I got her name that night... Tara.
We rarely left each other's sides after that night. We talked, we hunted, we swam, we flew, we would lay in the grass and watch the clouds or stars, we did everything together.
Then, one night, Tara came into heat. I'll never forget that night... the night Tara and I became mates.
She officially moved into the cave with me after that. We were together for many, many years.
And then... it happened.
Tara wanted me to go out and hunt for both of us. I was surprised because she loved to go outside and now, she would often just lie in the cave. She said she was a little tired so I left. I found some food and brought it back to her.
It was just like the first time.
I was approaching the cave and I smelled blood. I immediately recognized it... it was Tara's.
I raced as fast as I could back to the cave and the hunters were there again and Tara was dead. Like the last time, I killed them all and then buried Tara near my family.
Like last time, I stayed in the cave for years. But, this time, it was not my friends that got me out of the cave. It was the fact that dragons had started to go extinct.
This terrified me. I was scared that all my friends and other dragons were going to die just like my family and mate had. I did what the other dragons were doing, I mated with as many other dragons as possible in hopes of making eggs. I also tired to unite dragons and humans by giving half of my heart to a dying prince.
But, neither of these worked. The prince grew into an evil and cruel king. He only made things worse. Males and females were also being killed off by knights. Eggs were smashed. It took several years for a female to produce an egg and then even more years after that for the egg to hatch. We were being killed off faster than we could reproduce. Before I knew it, the last female had been killed and I was the last dragon in the world.
And then, I had met Bowen.
My thoughts were interrupted by noise coming from above me. From the shouts and grunts, I knew it was Bowen and Enion.
"Bowen!" I shouted, trying to draw his attention. I could not see anything but I could hear the sounds of Enion and Bowen's fight.
I heard Kara come to the top of the tower and give Bowen a new weapon.
I heard Enion shout, "Fool, I'm immortal."
I heard Bowen strike the wooden poles.
I heard Enion's shout of surprise, then, I heard the sound of Enion hitting and breaking the floor and landing in water.
I heard Bowen's shout of surprise as he, too, fell.
I heard his quick battle with a guard.
Above me, the dragon slayer that had been keeping watch over me, shouted something in a different language and raise his bow. Knowing Bowen could not dodge it, I blew fire down ward. As I had guessed, the ball of flame jumped from the ground to the dragon slayer. The dragon slayer shouted and then fell from the tower.
Bowen ran to me and started to undo the chain that held down my head.
"Now, its you, Bowen," I said as the chain came loose. "Its you that has to do it!"
"What are you talking about?" Bowen asked, as he moved to lift the heavy chain that held down my head. He acted like he did not know what I meant, but, I knew he was trying to avoid the inevitable.
"As the heart binds Enion to me in life, it binds us in death," I said, desperate to make him understand.
"That's not true!" Bowen said between breaths as he lifted the heavy chain from my head.
"You've seen that it is!" I shouted as I ripped a chain that had been holding down my right fore claw. "Through the heart we share each others pains and powers, but in my half beats the life source! For Enion to die, I must die!"
"Enion is dead," the Knight of the Old Code said as he threw the ax he had been holding to the ground.
"He lives!" I shouted, nearly growling in frustration.
Bowen walked back towards my head. "It doesn't matter," he said quietly. "Don't you hear it? Our rebels have stormed the castle. Alive or dead, Enion's beaten! We've won!"
"You will never win until Enion's evil is destroyed and to do that you must destroy me!" I growled, annoyed with his stubbornness.
"No," Bowen whispered.
"Once you swore your sword and service were mine," I said, raising myself up as high as the restraining chains would allow. "To call when I had need of you, to ask what I would of you. I hold you to your vow, Knight!"
I turned to look down the dark corridor near us when I heard the sound of foot steps and felt the feeling in my heart that Enion was growing closer.
"He's coming," I said, lowering my voice to just above a whisper. "Coming to stop you. Strike before its too late!"
Bowen picked up his ax and turned towards the sound of foot steps. Kara stepped out of the shadows. She looked into the hole where Enion had fallen. She looked up at us and shook her head, signaling that Enion was not there. Bowen turned to look at me.
"You are the last," Bowen whispered.
"My time is over. Strike!" I shouted, now not caring who heard me.
"You are my friend," he said as he approached my head again.
"Then as my friend, strike please!" I roared, desperate to make him understand.
He turned away from me. "I can't," the knight said as he walked away from me.
"Then I will make you," I said, as I turned to my last resort.
I struck out at him as I roared as loud as I could. He ducked with a shout of surprise, rolled, and then stood and faced me.
"Fight back, Dragon Slayer!" I said, trying to make him attack me out of anger and fear. "Defend your self!"
I sucked in my breath and shot twin jets of fire through my nose. The lines of fire went on either side of Bowen, which was my intention. Bowen did nothing but stood and watched me.
As I ceased my fire, Brother Gilbert entered through the door at the top of a set of stairs. He looked down at us in surprise, but we ignored him.
Bowen looked me straight in the eye and then threw down the ax Kara had given him.
"Pick it up!" I shouted.
A gasp from the other side of the courtyard drew both my attention and Bowen's from our fight.
Enion stood behind Kara, a sword to her throat. Bowen moved toward them, but stopped when Enion shouted, "Move and she dies!" Brother Gilbert picked up his quiver for an arrow but found that it was empty. Enion laughed.
Not knowing what else to do, I scratched my wrist as hard as I could, drawing blood. I never was very sure what Draco was doing in that part of the movie Enion yelled and clutched his wrist, dropping the sword and letting go of Kara, who ran down the steps.
Angry and desperate, Enion grab a dagger from his belt and ran at Bowen and me.
At that moment, time seemed to slow and I could suddenly hear my heart pounding in my ears.
Brother Gilbert and Kara looked on helplessly as Enion ran at us.
Bowen picked up his ax. He looked at Enion and then turned to me. I stared at him and I could see many emotions running through his eyes: horror, sadness, realization, and understanding.
He turned back to the evil king and watched for a few seconds as his former pupil ran at him with a dagger.
As Bowen turned back to me, I raised up the scales that covered and protected my half heart, allowing Bowen a easy target.
He turned back to Enion one last time. Enion got within eight feet of Bowen when he raised the hand that held the dagger, ready to strike his old mentor.
Bowen looked at me again. As Enion closed the space between them, Bowen raised the ax and threw it at me.
The ax moved slowly forward on its fateful path, right towards my heart. It was five feet away from me and I wished it would hurry up, so all this could be over...
Four feet...
Then, I suddenly wished I could stop the ax. That I could stay here with Bowen, Kara, and Brother Gilbert and help them rebuild the kingdom...
Three feet...
But I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it...
Two feet...
Nor did a part of me want to stop it, for I knew that unless I died, Enion would live forever and cause everyone misery and pain...
One foot...
As the ax drew closer to its target, I silently said my final farewells to Bowen, Brother Gilbert, and Kara. I knew that I would be able to watch them from the Dragon Heaven, if that is where I went, but I would never be able to communicate with them again... ever...
Zero feet...
As the ax passed through the thin layer of skin over my heart, I suddenly had the feeling that I was being pulled upward. I looked down to see that everything and everyone down in the castle was falling away from me and had stopped moving.
Though I did not know where I was going, I felt a feeling of safety pass through me. I closed my eyes and allowed my self to be taken to where ever I was going...
^*^*^*^*^
The sound of a pounding waterfall woke me. I opened my eyes and looked around my surroundings.
I was in a cave. The mouth of the cave was hidden by a waterfall from the outside. My eyes widened as I realized I knew this cave very well. It was the cave where I had lived with my family; where Tara and I had lived; where I had met Bowen.
I spun around, gasping at each thing in the cave that I noticed. The huge rock formation Kirali and I loved to play on; the small lake where my family and I had played, swam, drank, and cleaned from; the huge flat rock that had been big enough for my whole family to sleep on; the tunnel that led even father into the cave; the-
I did a double take back to the sleeping rock. I could not believe my eyes, for there, laying comfortably on the rock, was my family.
I could not believe it at first. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was not seeing things but they were still there. They look just like they had looked the day they died.
My mother, Mira, was lay comfortably on her side. Her green-brown scales glinted in the light coming from the mouth of the cave. Her dark green eyes stared at me, with a look of happiness and joy.
My father, Delcor, sat on his back legs behind my mother. His dark scales made him barely visible against the dark shadows from the back of the cave. His dark brown eyes held that familiar firmness I had seen every day of my childhood, but, they still held the tenderness that always appeared when he looked at his family.
My sister, Kirali, was standing, but crouched so that her back legs stood tall and her front legs were on the ground with her heading hanging over them. I recognized the position instantly: she wanted to play. Her light green scales still had the softness of a very young dragon. Her surprisingly yellow-green eyes held a playful gaze fixed on me.
I started at them for a few seconds before running toward them as I shouted, "Mom! Dad! Kirali!" As I ran to them, I realized that I was young again. I was at the age that I had been when Tara had been killed.
I first reached Kirali. As I approached, she raised herself onto her back legs and let out a mock roar. I mimicked it before jumping onto her a pinning her down. She gave a small growl as she tried to knock me off.
Being careful, so as not to hurt her, I rolled so she was on top of me. Then I rolled again so I was pinning her down again, but, this time, I jumped off and then ran to my father.
When I reached him, he leaned down to meet me. He rubbed his head against mine. His wings closed around me in a dragon hug. I smiled at him as he let me go and ran to my mother.
I walked up to my mom and stated to rub against her, enjoying her warmth. She smiled at me. "Nice to see you, too, my son," she said. I responded by giving a 1/2 growl, 1/2 purr.
I backed away from her and looked at my family. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked. "I thought you had died."
My father smiled at me. "We are dead." He said.
Kirali jumped toward me. "We just came down to say hi," my sister said in a cheerful voice.
"We came to do more than that," Mira said to Kirali. The younger female looked puzzled for a minute before a look of understanding appeared on her face. She murmured "Oh yeah" as she lay down by our mother.
"We have come to tell you something important, Draco," Delcor said in a serious tone, his need to get right down to business very familiar to me.
My mother gave a small smile. "I'm surprised that mortal was able to guess your name right."
I nodded in agreement. "I was surprised too," I said, suddenly growing sad as I thought about what was happening at the castle. My family seemed to read my expression.
"That's what we came to talk to you about," Kirali replied as her tail swung from side to side in an impatient gesture.
I hung my head. "I have failed," I said sadly. "I tired to bring humans and dragons together and tried to save my race. But, I have only made things worse. Now, I'll never get into the Dragon Heaven."
My mother laughed. "No, your wrong," she said. "You have actually done quite the opposite." I looked up at her, confusion in my eyes.
My father growled at her. "We are not to tell him," he said in a stern voice. "That is for another to say." My mother sighed. "I know, I know."
I just looked at them in confusion. Kirali stood and jumped toward me.
"Let me explain," she said in a no-nonsense tone. "We just came to prepare you for what your are about to see and hear."
"And what would that be?" I asked.
Kirali opened her mouth but Delcor suddenly reached out with his clawed hand and pulled her back to him and Mira. "We can't say," he growled.
"You'll have to hear it for yourself my son," my mother said gently. "We just came to tell you that we love you and we'll see you soon."
My family started to glow and I suddenly knew that they were leaving. "Wait!" I shouted as I ran toward them.
"Its okay, Draco," Kirali said. "Its time we left."
"We told you what we needed to say," my mother agreed. "We can now go."
"But, but," I could not stop stuttering.
My father smiled at me. "Don't worry son," he said. "We will see you very soon and she will tell you what else you need to know."
The glow around my family started to increase, so much that I could barley see them.
"Wait!" I cried again. "Who is she? When will I see you again?"
"Just be patient," Mira, Delcor, and Kirali all said to me.
Their bodies shined brightly before disappearing. I sighed as I looked at the empty space where my family had lay. Another form had started to glow in the spot where they had been. I sighed again as I watched the glow take form. As the form became more material, I gasped as I realized who lay in front of me. Green-brown scales, calm blue eyes, smooth wings, and that soothing smile. I could never mistake the dragon in front of me for anyone else.
As the form became solid, the female before me smiled. "Hello, Draco," she said in her cool comforting and familiar voice.
"Tara," I whispered as I stepped toward my mate. "Is it really you?"
She nodded. "Yes, its me," she said. In an instant, I was by her side. I gave her a quick sniff, to be sure it was her. When I was positive it was my mate sitting in front of me, I rubbed my head against hers. She responded in the same way, giving a 1/2 growl, 1/2 purr at the same time.
"Oh god, Tara," I whispered as old emotions I had not felt for so many years came rushing back at me. "I have missed you so much."
"I missed you too, Draco," she said, her eyes closed.
"I'm so sorry for what happened," I said. I began to say more but Tara held a clawed finger to my lips.
"Shh," Tara said, her soft, soothing voice music to my ears. "Don't dwell on the past when we can look toward the bright future."
"What future?" I asked as sadness welled in me, knowing that once I was gone, there would be no dragons left. "Once I leave, what future can any dragon look forward to when there will be none left? I can't even look forward to my own future because, with all I have done, there is no way I will be let into the Dragon Heaven."
At this, Tara laughed. I was happy, angry, and sad at this. I was happy because I loved her laugh so much and it was good to hear it again. I was sad and angry, though, because I did not understand what could be so funny at a time like this.
"What is so funny?" I asked not being able to keep some of my anger and frustration out of my voice.
"You," my mate said with a smile on her face.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my anger leaving me for confusion.
"Your wrong on both accounts," Tara said, her eyes sparkling. I only continued to stare at her in confusion. Her smile grew even more. "I'll answer your last fault first. Of course your going to get into the Dragon Heaven."
"How can I?" I asked in frustration
"You think that because of everything you have done that you won't get to the Dragon Heaven but you will," she said. "Everything you have done has brought humans and dragons closer together. You awoke the bond that had been fading between our two races when you shared your heart with that dying prince. You made the humans realize how few of us there are left in the world and they will now try to save our race. That's why you will get into the Dragon Heaven"
"How few of us there are?" I said, still very confused. "Try none."
Tara looked at me with a look of tenderness and love in her eyes. "That's the other way your wrong," she whispered to me. "There was something I never got a chance to tell you because I died."
"What's that?" I asked, my voice a whisper too.
My mate leaned forward so that she could whisper in my ear. "What I never got a chance to tell you was," she said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. "Was that, before I died, I was able to produce an egg."
My voice caught in my throat. "What?" I said, my voice strained because of the surprise and shock I felt. "Are you serious?"
Tara drew back, looked me in the eye, and nodded.
My reaction surprised even me. I stood on my back legs and let out a huge roar. I let some fire out of my nose too, unable to keep the happiness and excitement I felt in check.
Tara just lay on the floor beneath me. She laughed and smiled at my actions. Hearing her laugh, I came down on all four feet and turned my attention to her.
I lay down next to her, folded my wing over her, and rubbed my head against hers. "Oh, Tara," I whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to be sure the egg would hatch," she said. "That's why the hunters caught me. I had place the egg in the tunnel over there." She pointed to the tunnel that led deeper into the cave. "I had gone to check on it and when I came out, they killed me."
As I remembered the scene that I had returned to that day, I could not stop the growl that rose in my throat. Tara smiled at me and placed her clawed hand over mine. "Draco," she said in a soft soothing voice. "That was in the past. There is nothing we can do now. We must look to the future."
I looked at my mate. "Tell me, Tara," I asked. "You seem to know so much about what is to come. Tell me, will our child have a happy life?"
There are spoilers for the 2nd movie here so skip down a little if you don't want me to spoil the story for you
Tara thought for a moment and then turned her head to me and said, "Yes, he will. He will live the very first years of his life hidden in the basement of a monastery. Then, a young stable boy will find him and will take him to the outside world. He will then learn how to hide among the rocks, fly, and breathe fire and ice.
"It will be hard for our son though, for humans are hunting for him. Some want to kill him but only to protect him from a prophecy that says a dragon will be corrupted by evil and will kill everyone. The prophecy is actually referring to a dragon that has taken an human form. When he turns evil and takes a dragon shape again, our son will beat him. The young stable boy, who tried to help with the fight will be greatly injured. However, our son will give half his heart to save the boy.
"Later in life, he will find a small group of dragons that were chased from their home across the sea. With the group of dragons, the dragon population will slowly but surely start to grow again."
Okay, people who are skipping can start to read here now and I made that last part up
I let this information sink into my mind. "What is our son's name?"
"His name will be Drake."
I nodded but something still puzzled me. I turned to Tara. "If the egg is here, in the cave, how will he live in monastery?"
"That was the other part I must tell you," the beautiful female beside me said. "You must tell the Knight of the Old Code, Bowen, to bring the egg to the monk, Brother Gilbert's monastery."
I laughed. "How am I to do that," I asked. "When back at the castle, I am in the process of dying."
"Though very few have ever seen it, when dragons die, their body becomes a ball of light, like a star. It then floats up and joins with the dragon constellation. As it joins, it is possible for the dragon that just passed away to be able to communicate with a living creature on Earth.
"When you die, you will find yourself at the gates of the Dragon Heaven. Another dragon will be there to greet you and will ask if you want to communicate with anyone one last time. You need to tell him that you wish to speak with Bowen, the Knight of the Old Code. He will send Bowen and you to this cave. You must lead Bowen back to where the egg is and tell him that in twenty years, he must return to this cave, collect the egg, and bring it to the monastery. You must also tell him what our son's name is. He must tell the monks at the monastery to hide the egg in the basement and when it hatches, to not let Drake out."
I nodded to show I understood, but I was still very worried. Tara must have seen my worry for she said, "Don't worry, Draco. If you tell Bowen everything I told you to tell him, then everything will be all right."
We sat in silence for a few moments before Tara suddenly stood. "We must part now," she said.
"Now!?" I cried. "When we have only now found each other after years apart?"
Tara gave me a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Draco," she said. "After you deliver the message to Bowen, we will be able to spend the rest of eternity together."
I smiled and rubbed myself against her one last time. "I love you, Tara."
"I love you, too, Draco."
She then stepped back from me. "Do you remember what you must tell Bowen?"
I quickly ran through it in my mind before I nodded. Tara stepped toward me again. "Then its time to go. Close your eyes."
I did as she told me to and felt her warm breath on my face. I felt that familiar pulling sensation and then I heard Tara say, "We will meet again soon, my mate."
I could not answer her so I simply let myself be pulled back to the castle and the present.
^*^*^*^*^
I opened my eyes and found myself back at the castle again. I looked down to see the ax entering my heart. As it pierced my heart, I let out a growl of pain and doubled over.
I looked up as I heard Bowen and Enion's shouts. As Enion reached Bowen, he stumbled because he too had felt the pain of our shared heart being split in half.
Bowen easily flipped Enion over and threw him to the ground. He took the dagger and raised it to strike, but Enion took a few deep ragged breaths before closing his eyes and dying.
Bowen stared in shock at the dead king and then looked up at me. As he did so, the pain in my breast suddenly stopped. I felt as if a huge weight had just been lifted from my shoulders. I felt my heart slowing down...
Bowen looked at me in disbelief. I gave him a nod and a reassuring smile. He shook his head but I could barley see it... everything was going blurry and dark...
As I laid my head down and closed my eyes for the last time, one final thought went through my mind...
...Now, there could be peace at last...
^*^*^*^
Litwolf689's end note: So how was it? Good, bad, wonderful, terrible? Please review and tell me how it was! Chapter 2 will hopefully be up soon but I can't guarantee it. I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!!! Thanks!!!
^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^
Anyway, have a great day and please review! Thanks!!!
New author's end note: the 2nd chapter is not really coming along. I was hoping it would be up sooner but its not... however, we have been getting a lot of snow days where I live so I'm going to try and work on it as much as I can today.
Thanks for reading my story!!! Thanks!!! ^-^
Litwolf689's authors note: Wow, I can't believe that I'm actually getting a chance to write this story. @_@ I have so many ideas running around in my head but not enough time to write them all down. Though this is going to be a one-shot fan fic, it is going to have two chapters... is that possible? Oh well, I hope you enjoy it! Please review!
New authors note: well I hope all of you out there are happy now, because I changed the names. Many people did not like the names because they were too human, so I changed them. I kept the name Tara but I changed the others. I used the human names because I have a terrible time coming up with names so I just use human ones or borrow them from another author. Thanks to my friend, Prince Tin Lizzy, for helping me come up with the names. I hope you enjoy this new version with the new names. Enjoy!!!
"Character Speaking"
~~~ Change of POV (Point of View) ~~~ ^*^* Change of Scene *^*^
Reunions and Partings Chapter 1: Peace at Last By Litwolf689
Draco struggled to get the chains off of him. He finally collapsed after going a straight hour of fighting the chains. He lay on the floor and angled his head, trying to get some glimpse of starry night sky.
As he did, Draco could not help but let memories of his past float up to him...
~~~ Draco's POV ~~~
Memories of my past flashed before my eyes...
I saw the cave where I had been born and where I lived with my mother Mira, my father Delcor, and my younger sister Kirali; the cave where I had met Bowen. I saw days where Kirali and I played in the waterfall and when we lay beside our mother while our father told us stories.
Then, I saw the time where my life had been destroyed. I had been out playing with friends and had stayed out later than I had promised my parents. As I approached the cave, a horrible smell floated out to me... the smell of my family's blood.
I charged in and found two dozen human hunters and the bodies of my mother, father, and sister. Mad with grief, I killed all the humans.
After that, I buried the bodies of my family and then stayed in that cave for years. I only went out to hunt. My friends came down and tried to help me but I refused to leave. I had been so wrapped up in my sorrow, thinking it was my fault.
Finally, my friends just shoved me out of my cave. They shoved me into the sky. I flapped my wings but was surprised when I realized I had forgotten how to fly. After a few more tries, however, I finally got the hang of it and soon, I was flying and having a great time with my friends again.
They told me my family would not have wanted me to wallow in my sorrow forever, but to live my life to the fullest.
And I realized that they were right.
A few years after that, I was hanging with my friends when we saw some female dragons. As we talked and got to know the females, my eye kept landing on one female... and I could not help but realize that she kept looking my way too.
I did not follow her, though. I was still afraid to get close to another dragon and then lose them.
But, she followed me.
After I had said good bye to my friends and settled down into my cave, I heard something outside. I figured it was some animal and ignored it. But, she called out to me.
I tried to get her to leave, but, no matter how many times I shouted at her or just plain ignored her, the female would not leave. When I went out the next morning, however, she was gone.
After that, every night she came around. She would talk to me, she would sing, sometimes she would do nothing but sit out there and I could feel her eyes prying into the cave. Every morning, she would be gone.
Finally, a terrible rain storm came one night. I thought she would not come, but she did. I could not bear the thought of her being out there, alone and getting soaked by the cold rain, so I called her in.
The female had come in with a triumphant smile on her face as she shook the water off her.
I got her name that night... Tara.
We rarely left each other's sides after that night. We talked, we hunted, we swam, we flew, we would lay in the grass and watch the clouds or stars, we did everything together.
Then, one night, Tara came into heat. I'll never forget that night... the night Tara and I became mates.
She officially moved into the cave with me after that. We were together for many, many years.
And then... it happened.
Tara wanted me to go out and hunt for both of us. I was surprised because she loved to go outside and now, she would often just lie in the cave. She said she was a little tired so I left. I found some food and brought it back to her.
It was just like the first time.
I was approaching the cave and I smelled blood. I immediately recognized it... it was Tara's.
I raced as fast as I could back to the cave and the hunters were there again and Tara was dead. Like the last time, I killed them all and then buried Tara near my family.
Like last time, I stayed in the cave for years. But, this time, it was not my friends that got me out of the cave. It was the fact that dragons had started to go extinct.
This terrified me. I was scared that all my friends and other dragons were going to die just like my family and mate had. I did what the other dragons were doing, I mated with as many other dragons as possible in hopes of making eggs. I also tired to unite dragons and humans by giving half of my heart to a dying prince.
But, neither of these worked. The prince grew into an evil and cruel king. He only made things worse. Males and females were also being killed off by knights. Eggs were smashed. It took several years for a female to produce an egg and then even more years after that for the egg to hatch. We were being killed off faster than we could reproduce. Before I knew it, the last female had been killed and I was the last dragon in the world.
And then, I had met Bowen.
My thoughts were interrupted by noise coming from above me. From the shouts and grunts, I knew it was Bowen and Enion.
"Bowen!" I shouted, trying to draw his attention. I could not see anything but I could hear the sounds of Enion and Bowen's fight.
I heard Kara come to the top of the tower and give Bowen a new weapon.
I heard Enion shout, "Fool, I'm immortal."
I heard Bowen strike the wooden poles.
I heard Enion's shout of surprise, then, I heard the sound of Enion hitting and breaking the floor and landing in water.
I heard Bowen's shout of surprise as he, too, fell.
I heard his quick battle with a guard.
Above me, the dragon slayer that had been keeping watch over me, shouted something in a different language and raise his bow. Knowing Bowen could not dodge it, I blew fire down ward. As I had guessed, the ball of flame jumped from the ground to the dragon slayer. The dragon slayer shouted and then fell from the tower.
Bowen ran to me and started to undo the chain that held down my head.
"Now, its you, Bowen," I said as the chain came loose. "Its you that has to do it!"
"What are you talking about?" Bowen asked, as he moved to lift the heavy chain that held down my head. He acted like he did not know what I meant, but, I knew he was trying to avoid the inevitable.
"As the heart binds Enion to me in life, it binds us in death," I said, desperate to make him understand.
"That's not true!" Bowen said between breaths as he lifted the heavy chain from my head.
"You've seen that it is!" I shouted as I ripped a chain that had been holding down my right fore claw. "Through the heart we share each others pains and powers, but in my half beats the life source! For Enion to die, I must die!"
"Enion is dead," the Knight of the Old Code said as he threw the ax he had been holding to the ground.
"He lives!" I shouted, nearly growling in frustration.
Bowen walked back towards my head. "It doesn't matter," he said quietly. "Don't you hear it? Our rebels have stormed the castle. Alive or dead, Enion's beaten! We've won!"
"You will never win until Enion's evil is destroyed and to do that you must destroy me!" I growled, annoyed with his stubbornness.
"No," Bowen whispered.
"Once you swore your sword and service were mine," I said, raising myself up as high as the restraining chains would allow. "To call when I had need of you, to ask what I would of you. I hold you to your vow, Knight!"
I turned to look down the dark corridor near us when I heard the sound of foot steps and felt the feeling in my heart that Enion was growing closer.
"He's coming," I said, lowering my voice to just above a whisper. "Coming to stop you. Strike before its too late!"
Bowen picked up his ax and turned towards the sound of foot steps. Kara stepped out of the shadows. She looked into the hole where Enion had fallen. She looked up at us and shook her head, signaling that Enion was not there. Bowen turned to look at me.
"You are the last," Bowen whispered.
"My time is over. Strike!" I shouted, now not caring who heard me.
"You are my friend," he said as he approached my head again.
"Then as my friend, strike please!" I roared, desperate to make him understand.
He turned away from me. "I can't," the knight said as he walked away from me.
"Then I will make you," I said, as I turned to my last resort.
I struck out at him as I roared as loud as I could. He ducked with a shout of surprise, rolled, and then stood and faced me.
"Fight back, Dragon Slayer!" I said, trying to make him attack me out of anger and fear. "Defend your self!"
I sucked in my breath and shot twin jets of fire through my nose. The lines of fire went on either side of Bowen, which was my intention. Bowen did nothing but stood and watched me.
As I ceased my fire, Brother Gilbert entered through the door at the top of a set of stairs. He looked down at us in surprise, but we ignored him.
Bowen looked me straight in the eye and then threw down the ax Kara had given him.
"Pick it up!" I shouted.
A gasp from the other side of the courtyard drew both my attention and Bowen's from our fight.
Enion stood behind Kara, a sword to her throat. Bowen moved toward them, but stopped when Enion shouted, "Move and she dies!" Brother Gilbert picked up his quiver for an arrow but found that it was empty. Enion laughed.
Not knowing what else to do, I scratched my wrist as hard as I could, drawing blood. I never was very sure what Draco was doing in that part of the movie Enion yelled and clutched his wrist, dropping the sword and letting go of Kara, who ran down the steps.
Angry and desperate, Enion grab a dagger from his belt and ran at Bowen and me.
At that moment, time seemed to slow and I could suddenly hear my heart pounding in my ears.
Brother Gilbert and Kara looked on helplessly as Enion ran at us.
Bowen picked up his ax. He looked at Enion and then turned to me. I stared at him and I could see many emotions running through his eyes: horror, sadness, realization, and understanding.
He turned back to the evil king and watched for a few seconds as his former pupil ran at him with a dagger.
As Bowen turned back to me, I raised up the scales that covered and protected my half heart, allowing Bowen a easy target.
He turned back to Enion one last time. Enion got within eight feet of Bowen when he raised the hand that held the dagger, ready to strike his old mentor.
Bowen looked at me again. As Enion closed the space between them, Bowen raised the ax and threw it at me.
The ax moved slowly forward on its fateful path, right towards my heart. It was five feet away from me and I wished it would hurry up, so all this could be over...
Four feet...
Then, I suddenly wished I could stop the ax. That I could stay here with Bowen, Kara, and Brother Gilbert and help them rebuild the kingdom...
Three feet...
But I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it...
Two feet...
Nor did a part of me want to stop it, for I knew that unless I died, Enion would live forever and cause everyone misery and pain...
One foot...
As the ax drew closer to its target, I silently said my final farewells to Bowen, Brother Gilbert, and Kara. I knew that I would be able to watch them from the Dragon Heaven, if that is where I went, but I would never be able to communicate with them again... ever...
Zero feet...
As the ax passed through the thin layer of skin over my heart, I suddenly had the feeling that I was being pulled upward. I looked down to see that everything and everyone down in the castle was falling away from me and had stopped moving.
Though I did not know where I was going, I felt a feeling of safety pass through me. I closed my eyes and allowed my self to be taken to where ever I was going...
^*^*^*^*^
The sound of a pounding waterfall woke me. I opened my eyes and looked around my surroundings.
I was in a cave. The mouth of the cave was hidden by a waterfall from the outside. My eyes widened as I realized I knew this cave very well. It was the cave where I had lived with my family; where Tara and I had lived; where I had met Bowen.
I spun around, gasping at each thing in the cave that I noticed. The huge rock formation Kirali and I loved to play on; the small lake where my family and I had played, swam, drank, and cleaned from; the huge flat rock that had been big enough for my whole family to sleep on; the tunnel that led even father into the cave; the-
I did a double take back to the sleeping rock. I could not believe my eyes, for there, laying comfortably on the rock, was my family.
I could not believe it at first. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I was not seeing things but they were still there. They look just like they had looked the day they died.
My mother, Mira, was lay comfortably on her side. Her green-brown scales glinted in the light coming from the mouth of the cave. Her dark green eyes stared at me, with a look of happiness and joy.
My father, Delcor, sat on his back legs behind my mother. His dark scales made him barely visible against the dark shadows from the back of the cave. His dark brown eyes held that familiar firmness I had seen every day of my childhood, but, they still held the tenderness that always appeared when he looked at his family.
My sister, Kirali, was standing, but crouched so that her back legs stood tall and her front legs were on the ground with her heading hanging over them. I recognized the position instantly: she wanted to play. Her light green scales still had the softness of a very young dragon. Her surprisingly yellow-green eyes held a playful gaze fixed on me.
I started at them for a few seconds before running toward them as I shouted, "Mom! Dad! Kirali!" As I ran to them, I realized that I was young again. I was at the age that I had been when Tara had been killed.
I first reached Kirali. As I approached, she raised herself onto her back legs and let out a mock roar. I mimicked it before jumping onto her a pinning her down. She gave a small growl as she tried to knock me off.
Being careful, so as not to hurt her, I rolled so she was on top of me. Then I rolled again so I was pinning her down again, but, this time, I jumped off and then ran to my father.
When I reached him, he leaned down to meet me. He rubbed his head against mine. His wings closed around me in a dragon hug. I smiled at him as he let me go and ran to my mother.
I walked up to my mom and stated to rub against her, enjoying her warmth. She smiled at me. "Nice to see you, too, my son," she said. I responded by giving a 1/2 growl, 1/2 purr.
I backed away from her and looked at my family. "What are you guys doing here?" I asked. "I thought you had died."
My father smiled at me. "We are dead." He said.
Kirali jumped toward me. "We just came down to say hi," my sister said in a cheerful voice.
"We came to do more than that," Mira said to Kirali. The younger female looked puzzled for a minute before a look of understanding appeared on her face. She murmured "Oh yeah" as she lay down by our mother.
"We have come to tell you something important, Draco," Delcor said in a serious tone, his need to get right down to business very familiar to me.
My mother gave a small smile. "I'm surprised that mortal was able to guess your name right."
I nodded in agreement. "I was surprised too," I said, suddenly growing sad as I thought about what was happening at the castle. My family seemed to read my expression.
"That's what we came to talk to you about," Kirali replied as her tail swung from side to side in an impatient gesture.
I hung my head. "I have failed," I said sadly. "I tired to bring humans and dragons together and tried to save my race. But, I have only made things worse. Now, I'll never get into the Dragon Heaven."
My mother laughed. "No, your wrong," she said. "You have actually done quite the opposite." I looked up at her, confusion in my eyes.
My father growled at her. "We are not to tell him," he said in a stern voice. "That is for another to say." My mother sighed. "I know, I know."
I just looked at them in confusion. Kirali stood and jumped toward me.
"Let me explain," she said in a no-nonsense tone. "We just came to prepare you for what your are about to see and hear."
"And what would that be?" I asked.
Kirali opened her mouth but Delcor suddenly reached out with his clawed hand and pulled her back to him and Mira. "We can't say," he growled.
"You'll have to hear it for yourself my son," my mother said gently. "We just came to tell you that we love you and we'll see you soon."
My family started to glow and I suddenly knew that they were leaving. "Wait!" I shouted as I ran toward them.
"Its okay, Draco," Kirali said. "Its time we left."
"We told you what we needed to say," my mother agreed. "We can now go."
"But, but," I could not stop stuttering.
My father smiled at me. "Don't worry son," he said. "We will see you very soon and she will tell you what else you need to know."
The glow around my family started to increase, so much that I could barley see them.
"Wait!" I cried again. "Who is she? When will I see you again?"
"Just be patient," Mira, Delcor, and Kirali all said to me.
Their bodies shined brightly before disappearing. I sighed as I looked at the empty space where my family had lay. Another form had started to glow in the spot where they had been. I sighed again as I watched the glow take form. As the form became more material, I gasped as I realized who lay in front of me. Green-brown scales, calm blue eyes, smooth wings, and that soothing smile. I could never mistake the dragon in front of me for anyone else.
As the form became solid, the female before me smiled. "Hello, Draco," she said in her cool comforting and familiar voice.
"Tara," I whispered as I stepped toward my mate. "Is it really you?"
She nodded. "Yes, its me," she said. In an instant, I was by her side. I gave her a quick sniff, to be sure it was her. When I was positive it was my mate sitting in front of me, I rubbed my head against hers. She responded in the same way, giving a 1/2 growl, 1/2 purr at the same time.
"Oh god, Tara," I whispered as old emotions I had not felt for so many years came rushing back at me. "I have missed you so much."
"I missed you too, Draco," she said, her eyes closed.
"I'm so sorry for what happened," I said. I began to say more but Tara held a clawed finger to my lips.
"Shh," Tara said, her soft, soothing voice music to my ears. "Don't dwell on the past when we can look toward the bright future."
"What future?" I asked as sadness welled in me, knowing that once I was gone, there would be no dragons left. "Once I leave, what future can any dragon look forward to when there will be none left? I can't even look forward to my own future because, with all I have done, there is no way I will be let into the Dragon Heaven."
At this, Tara laughed. I was happy, angry, and sad at this. I was happy because I loved her laugh so much and it was good to hear it again. I was sad and angry, though, because I did not understand what could be so funny at a time like this.
"What is so funny?" I asked not being able to keep some of my anger and frustration out of my voice.
"You," my mate said with a smile on her face.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my anger leaving me for confusion.
"Your wrong on both accounts," Tara said, her eyes sparkling. I only continued to stare at her in confusion. Her smile grew even more. "I'll answer your last fault first. Of course your going to get into the Dragon Heaven."
"How can I?" I asked in frustration
"You think that because of everything you have done that you won't get to the Dragon Heaven but you will," she said. "Everything you have done has brought humans and dragons closer together. You awoke the bond that had been fading between our two races when you shared your heart with that dying prince. You made the humans realize how few of us there are left in the world and they will now try to save our race. That's why you will get into the Dragon Heaven"
"How few of us there are?" I said, still very confused. "Try none."
Tara looked at me with a look of tenderness and love in her eyes. "That's the other way your wrong," she whispered to me. "There was something I never got a chance to tell you because I died."
"What's that?" I asked, my voice a whisper too.
My mate leaned forward so that she could whisper in my ear. "What I never got a chance to tell you was," she said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. "Was that, before I died, I was able to produce an egg."
My voice caught in my throat. "What?" I said, my voice strained because of the surprise and shock I felt. "Are you serious?"
Tara drew back, looked me in the eye, and nodded.
My reaction surprised even me. I stood on my back legs and let out a huge roar. I let some fire out of my nose too, unable to keep the happiness and excitement I felt in check.
Tara just lay on the floor beneath me. She laughed and smiled at my actions. Hearing her laugh, I came down on all four feet and turned my attention to her.
I lay down next to her, folded my wing over her, and rubbed my head against hers. "Oh, Tara," I whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to be sure the egg would hatch," she said. "That's why the hunters caught me. I had place the egg in the tunnel over there." She pointed to the tunnel that led deeper into the cave. "I had gone to check on it and when I came out, they killed me."
As I remembered the scene that I had returned to that day, I could not stop the growl that rose in my throat. Tara smiled at me and placed her clawed hand over mine. "Draco," she said in a soft soothing voice. "That was in the past. There is nothing we can do now. We must look to the future."
I looked at my mate. "Tell me, Tara," I asked. "You seem to know so much about what is to come. Tell me, will our child have a happy life?"
There are spoilers for the 2nd movie here so skip down a little if you don't want me to spoil the story for you
Tara thought for a moment and then turned her head to me and said, "Yes, he will. He will live the very first years of his life hidden in the basement of a monastery. Then, a young stable boy will find him and will take him to the outside world. He will then learn how to hide among the rocks, fly, and breathe fire and ice.
"It will be hard for our son though, for humans are hunting for him. Some want to kill him but only to protect him from a prophecy that says a dragon will be corrupted by evil and will kill everyone. The prophecy is actually referring to a dragon that has taken an human form. When he turns evil and takes a dragon shape again, our son will beat him. The young stable boy, who tried to help with the fight will be greatly injured. However, our son will give half his heart to save the boy.
"Later in life, he will find a small group of dragons that were chased from their home across the sea. With the group of dragons, the dragon population will slowly but surely start to grow again."
Okay, people who are skipping can start to read here now and I made that last part up
I let this information sink into my mind. "What is our son's name?"
"His name will be Drake."
I nodded but something still puzzled me. I turned to Tara. "If the egg is here, in the cave, how will he live in monastery?"
"That was the other part I must tell you," the beautiful female beside me said. "You must tell the Knight of the Old Code, Bowen, to bring the egg to the monk, Brother Gilbert's monastery."
I laughed. "How am I to do that," I asked. "When back at the castle, I am in the process of dying."
"Though very few have ever seen it, when dragons die, their body becomes a ball of light, like a star. It then floats up and joins with the dragon constellation. As it joins, it is possible for the dragon that just passed away to be able to communicate with a living creature on Earth.
"When you die, you will find yourself at the gates of the Dragon Heaven. Another dragon will be there to greet you and will ask if you want to communicate with anyone one last time. You need to tell him that you wish to speak with Bowen, the Knight of the Old Code. He will send Bowen and you to this cave. You must lead Bowen back to where the egg is and tell him that in twenty years, he must return to this cave, collect the egg, and bring it to the monastery. You must also tell him what our son's name is. He must tell the monks at the monastery to hide the egg in the basement and when it hatches, to not let Drake out."
I nodded to show I understood, but I was still very worried. Tara must have seen my worry for she said, "Don't worry, Draco. If you tell Bowen everything I told you to tell him, then everything will be all right."
We sat in silence for a few moments before Tara suddenly stood. "We must part now," she said.
"Now!?" I cried. "When we have only now found each other after years apart?"
Tara gave me a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Draco," she said. "After you deliver the message to Bowen, we will be able to spend the rest of eternity together."
I smiled and rubbed myself against her one last time. "I love you, Tara."
"I love you, too, Draco."
She then stepped back from me. "Do you remember what you must tell Bowen?"
I quickly ran through it in my mind before I nodded. Tara stepped toward me again. "Then its time to go. Close your eyes."
I did as she told me to and felt her warm breath on my face. I felt that familiar pulling sensation and then I heard Tara say, "We will meet again soon, my mate."
I could not answer her so I simply let myself be pulled back to the castle and the present.
^*^*^*^*^
I opened my eyes and found myself back at the castle again. I looked down to see the ax entering my heart. As it pierced my heart, I let out a growl of pain and doubled over.
I looked up as I heard Bowen and Enion's shouts. As Enion reached Bowen, he stumbled because he too had felt the pain of our shared heart being split in half.
Bowen easily flipped Enion over and threw him to the ground. He took the dagger and raised it to strike, but Enion took a few deep ragged breaths before closing his eyes and dying.
Bowen stared in shock at the dead king and then looked up at me. As he did so, the pain in my breast suddenly stopped. I felt as if a huge weight had just been lifted from my shoulders. I felt my heart slowing down...
Bowen looked at me in disbelief. I gave him a nod and a reassuring smile. He shook his head but I could barley see it... everything was going blurry and dark...
As I laid my head down and closed my eyes for the last time, one final thought went through my mind...
...Now, there could be peace at last...
^*^*^*^
Litwolf689's end note: So how was it? Good, bad, wonderful, terrible? Please review and tell me how it was! Chapter 2 will hopefully be up soon but I can't guarantee it. I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!!! Thanks!!!
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Anyway, have a great day and please review! Thanks!!!
New author's end note: the 2nd chapter is not really coming along. I was hoping it would be up sooner but its not... however, we have been getting a lot of snow days where I live so I'm going to try and work on it as much as I can today.
Thanks for reading my story!!! Thanks!!! ^-^