Note there is now a sequel to this story: See note at bottom!
Epilogue: Shaken the World
Bricgweardas:guardians of the bridge, A-S
Heofonrīċe:Kingdom of Heaven A-S
Middanġeard: world, homeland, middle-earth, A-S (true: JRR was a linguist)
Eorþrīce:Earth-kingdom Eorðe:Earth A-S
Paradīċe:paradise,Eden, A-S
Brym-wylf: Name: she-wolf, A-S
Orlena: Name: gold light, Latin
Radella: Title: Advisor among elves, old English
æþel-boren: noble born, A-S
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Gunther insisted he speak with King Caradoc, Sir Ivon and Sir Theodore alone, though he could not bar Jane from the assembly...Jester was there as well but both youths had enough sense to keep silent when he had his audience...the squire hoped that sense would continue and they would never bring up any of the things he said ever again.
It had been unspeakably difficult for the black dragon to remain in the courtyard after he had seen that desperate, nervous look in Gunther's gray eyes as he accompanied the royals inside. Drake had difficulty driving the image from his mind and wished he were small enough to easily accompany his friend inside the audience chamber.
Smithy took the opportunity to examine the patch job Jane had done on the black dragon's wings. Drake was so distracted he hardly noticed when the blond boy replaced several of the poultices on his injured wings. Even if his wings had been in top form, he was not about to stretch his massive frame across the roof and dangle his head over the eaves near the clearstory windows in hopes of overhearing what was going on inside…as the green dragon was in the process of doing.
Pip had even less restraint and was even now flitting about the rafters. Truthfully, the energetic Jewel lizard had no interest in what was going on inside. Pip had spent most of the morning playing a spirited game of chaise-and-dive with Trencher, the knight-marshal's falcon, and saw no reason to quit it simply because the 'no-scales' had business in the hall.
Thinking of the little winged-lizard brought to mind Pip's keeper. Drake turned his attention to the pointy eared healer Gunther had found, so surprisingly, imprisoned with him in the manor. "So, Werianhow have you come to be HERE and why?" Drake asked as the castle's Smith finished with his wings and moved turned his ministrations to the young Elf; carefully binding his ribs and splinting his arm before tying it securely in a fine linen sling.
The elf seemed equally oblivious to his surroundings but not so much so that he did not respond to the dragon's inquiry, "My people are Bricgweardas," Werian said offhandedly, "It is our duty to act as sentinels of the mist-veil which spans the void between the realms. There are three realms as you may know. The first is Heofonrīċe,the unseen realm of the spirits. You and I are of Middanġeard this is Eorþrīce …. What isn't necessarily known is that when creation was new the three realms were one Paradīċe. But after the Great Sundering the Maker drew up the veil and the realms drifted apart. The few bridges to Eorðe were guarded carefully thought the centuries. Though, as keepers, my family traversed the way to this place from time to time. We try to stay hidden while seeking news of the foretold, through him the lost will be found and the way to Paradīċewill be opened once more. We seek knowledge of his coming but we have been known to trade knowledge for goods from time to time." The young elf explained.
Drake nodded but did not interrupt; while at his mother's side he had heard stories of the other realms and the Great Sundering but had not even considered the possibility that he had found his way into to the near-mythical realm known as Earth.
The black Dragon…like many in his world believed the way to paradise was closed forever because of the sundering. When his ancestors—children of the fire & air—fell prey to greed. They sold their Maker-given ability to shape-shift for love of treasure. In the ages after the sundering they became slaves to those with power because they had given up of their last defense. The Elves kin—children of mist & magic—were likewise tempted and failed. They fell prey to vanity and squandered their birthright for physical beauty. The Maker charged them to be of princes of Middanġeard but they gave responsibility to others and now as exiles, they live like animals in the wilds. Lastly, the humans—children of the spirit & soil—fell prey to pride; loosing their immortality in exchange for forbidden knowledge. In so doing, they brought pain, despair, and eventually the curse of death to us all.
Truly Drake had long despaired that Maker had forgotten SwǽtanĒalond … cut its people off to Devine guidance forever and subjected them to the Cāsere'sharsh and violent rule. It was something of a relief to learn there was still hope for the elder races. Apparently Werian's tribe had been chosen to guard the narrow way, to watch and wait for the coming of the Word. This was earth. Periodic Elvin presence in Earth's realm explained the cryptic statements, legends and remnants the old tongue in Sir Theodore's books, it also explained why elves and dragons were in such short supply in this place. "How long has it been since your people were here?
The elfsighed and shook his head ruefully, but his voice remained even, "The last to cross to this side was Brym-wylf my mother's sister.She was the Radellaof our people but, despite her wisdom and power, she never returned. After that we avoided traversing the veil. It has been nearly fourteen years; even so, we still recognized the signs written in the skies the night the emperor's magic tore through the veil and you slipped through."
Drake was no where near as calm. "So he already knows where I am…How long before the army arrives?" The black dragon shivered and tried to keep his voice level but the tip of his tail swished back and forth in agitation.
"About that…" Werianshifted uncomfortably on the wooden bench in front of the forge. I am sure you know what you did was exceptional. I do not think you realize just HOW exceptional. There has never been any doubt Inwidsorthis the strongest sorcerer in SwǽtanĒalond.
"I HAVE been his slave, his favorite, for a very long time." Drake said furrowing his ridged brows; "I do know that."
"Yes, I expect you do." The elf sighed. "By rights, his magic should have made it impossible for you to escape…yet you did. The elders of my people suspect that he overextended himself in his conjuring and was drawing energy from you to complete his incantation as well as to maintain the thousands of lesser majics necessary to sustain the empire."
"It would not be the first time; the man is a thief of power. I imagine He bled magic off all the dragons of the imperial wing at one time or another." Drake shrugged wondering where the wounded healer was going with this.
The young elf ran his long fingers through his strangely mottled hair. "Well, on some level you must have realized he was using your own magic to confine you and put a stop to it. Like a drawn bow when the string breaks, he was caught in the backlash of power. The web he cast began to unravel. Since your magic had been part of it I expect your instinct kicked in and you used the opportunity to slip through the veil and escape. Yours was a very…dramatic exit. Not to mention, a personal affront to theCāsere."
"That is what I was afraid of." Drake shook his head sadly; "There will be no containing his wrath…The armies will fall on this peaceful kingdom and no two stones will be left standing one upon the other. There is no choice, we must convince the people to flee!" His long talons dug into the slate tiles of the courtyard in agitation.
Smithy had finished fussing with the elf's arm and stood in mute attention, his crystal-blue eyes wide, as the story unfolded. There were countless things he should be doing in the forge even so; he dared not stir farther from the doorway lest he miss something important.
"Not exactly…" the elf struggled to find the words to explain to Drake what his leaving Drēorselehad begun.
"What do you mean 'not exactly,' Werian?" Drake's golden gaze bore down on the Ælflike a hawk upon a mouse.
"SwǽtanĒalond is not as you left it," the young healer said as calmly as he could, "You started something unprecedented that night; triggering a firestorm that shook the very foundations of the empire. After two hundred and fifty years, you proved theCāsere is just as mortal is any other. He could be hurt." The elf spelled it out finally, "I am talking about civil war Drake; slave against master, Dragon against keeper, Dragon and Rider united against forces still loyal to the Empire. Word has come that the enemy's forces are falling prey to the same sort of political upset. Our world is changing so rapidly I can hardly believe it. And in your absence…you have become a hero. That is why I have come. If you were to return it would galvanize the resistance…We would be able to crush Inwidsorthfor good. The Cynn would be free."
"Kippernium would be safe." Drake whispered rubbing his jaw absently with his front paw. It seemed He had changed almost as much asSwǽtanĒalond had. This kingdom, this world's realm, felt like 'home' now and as much as he wanted others of his kind to be free, there were few among them he could call friends. The black dragon sighed forlornly. It had never made a difference before…but now he knew what friendship meant. What is more, he had no doubt that one of the few things important enough to fight-or even die for, was to protect those he cared about from the ugliness that is war.
"You are not leaving Gunther!" Smithy found himself saying before he could stop himself. Both figures looked at him startled. The blond had been correct in assuming the other two had been oblivious to his presence. For someone as large as he was, Smithy was often surprised how people managed to overlook him...not that he minded, being innocuous had advantages. That was how he learned many things.
"I do not want him to get hurt…I do not want ANY of you to get hurt." The black dragon said carefully.
"None-the-less, Gunther needs to go with you. You MUST take him. It is clear to any with eyes that you two are worlds better together than either of you are alone." The usually reticent Smithy felt pressure building within him as if he had put too much fuel in his emotional furnace. Once he had begun speaking the momentum made it difficult to stop. "But there is more to it then that. My Ivy is one of the hill dwellers, an herbalist like her mother before her. Such folk hold dear to the old ways and she knows many things. She is the one that made the salve and told me how to patch your wounds. She is the one Magnus went to for elf-bane…she did not know what it was for but shared her suspicions with me. I had hoped she was wrong…but…"
The blond smith furrowed his brow wondering if he was breaking a trust sharing these things…then figured the point was made somewhat moot in light of the fact that it was no worse than eavesdropping… which is what put him in this position in the first place. He cleared his throat and continued the story. "Years ago, when her mother was the wise women of the western-wood, a messenger came to her cottage. Ivy was just a girl but she remembers the stormy night her mother was taken to the manor house. When she was older, her mother told her a woman had given birth that night. The wise woman tried everything she could to save the stranger. But on top of the normal travail of childbirth there was some type of magic twining about her. Like all her people, Ivy's mother knew something about spells. She tried to end to whatever was causing the conflict with in the woman so the healing would go more smoothly. In the end it was no use, the woman was just too weak and she finally succumbed."
Werian nodded, he knew quite well what it was like to do all you could and still feel the patents life slipping away. Not too many years ago he had been rider to a great golden dragon. His dear Orlena had taken a bolt from the same ballista Drake had. He tried every thing he knew and even invented some 'new tricks' of his own; But in the end he had been unable to save her. Then days later, Pip brought him to another desperately wounded dragon. He had been called upon again to use what he had learned and that was what enabled him to heal Drake…and Drake had changed the shape of their world.
The Smith was not finished his story though. He gazed long and hard at Werian, "When the stranger passed from this world the Magic remained. Ivy's mother had never heard of such a thing but when she examined the situation it became clear that when the magic spark was extinguished in one it was kindled in another…the child. THAT she had heard of; but only among Ellorgǽst…the woman was an Ælf like you. My Ivy's visions of the future are complicated things but—as she gazed into the fire the other night, she told me that you needed to know," The smith turned his attention to Drake now, "Gunther was the child that was born that night fourteen-years-ago. The flame burns within him still. You two need one another."
"Fourteen-yearsthat is just the time when my Aunt Bryn disappeared! Now we finally know how the Radella of our tribe was lost!" Werian gasped, "Drake, your boy is my cousin!"
"I KNEW he was an elf-boy…and æþel-boren no less." Drake gave a smug smile. "Just wait till I tell him!"
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So you have reached the end of this particular tale. Thanks to all of you have faithfully reviewed and kept me scribbling away with enthusiasm. You may have realized that I have left several loose ends in this work…two in particular. I had great plans for another epic adventure to follow this one. There were two dominant plot bunnies one wanted to follow Drake and Gunther through the vale to war torn Swǽtan Ēalond?The other planed to stay in Kippernium and follow Jane and Dragon on their quest to kindle dragon's magic and discover the secret of the second fire. Unfortunately the two fractious bunnies fought and was unable to peruse either. But at long last I have another story in the arc. This story is now continued in Revelations II Day of the Black Dragon. In time I hope to white more in this world for there is still much to say. But I am making no promises this time. If you want notification of the next stories posting favorite day the the dragon and I will append a note to the end as I have done with this one. Thank you for your support!