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Writing.Com Item ID: #755845
Title: Tears for a Dragon
Item Type: Book
Brief: A fairy tale with a dragon, a princess and a special sword...
Last Modified: 03-19-2008 @ 1:05am
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Writing.Com Entry Id: #258228
Chapter/Entry Title: I - Introduction
Last Modified: 09-24-2003 @ 9:53pm
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Introduction
Once upon a time there lived a dragon. His tiny realm was a happy land. Since he could remember, tranquillity had ruled the land. It had been this dragon's father who brought the peace. How he had done this was lost in history. Of course, the dragon knew, but he was not allowed to tell or he would put the land into chaos. His father had bound him to maintain harmony in the land and not reveal the secret for it.
People worked hard and were rewarded for their efforts. A few small villages sprang up here and there through the valley during the peace and prosperity. The village of the King grew into a beautiful city at the base of Dragon's Mountain.
Keeping peace was not a mere duty to Dragon. The valley was his home. It was a beautiful land from one end to the next. Farms made a patchwork of the open land and trees dotted the entire valley from the palace grounds to the forest at the other end. Keeping peace was the happy purpose of his life.
Many had sought to claim the valley as their own. At the King's refusal to submit to their subjugation, their armies followed. They were confident that they could add this tiny realm to their holdings. As they prepared their onslaught, Dragon would fly up over the valley. He was a large creature with a wingspan of twenty-five feet. His skin appeared to change colors, sparkling as he flew through the sunlight. He would swoop and dive at the various battalions. His natural armor would protect him from the arrows and spears aimed to bring him down.
No one in the valley ever thought the armies cowardly. With a thirty foot dragon swooping down, wings outstretched, smoke issuing from his nostrils, it was simply prudent to withdraw and retreat. Those who delayed the inevitable discovered the smoke was not merely for display. Dragon could breathe forth a formidable flow of flame to those who persisted in their attempt to take the valley.
In the days of Dragon's father, he and King Saron and worked together to bring peace to the realm. It cost them great effort and sacrifice. To be sure all they had gained would not be lost, they inscribed all they had learned in The Book of Peaceful Ruling. Anyone could make a claim to the throne. But to get it, he had to pass the Test of the Dragon. All princes were trained by this book, yet even they had to pass Dragon's tests.
As each new king ruled, there were always those who questioned his wisdom and strength. Some were louder than others, but none dared face the dragon, for in those times, any dragon was indeed a fearsome thing.
After years of presiding over the realm, Dragon's father and then Dragon, had a reputation that was known far and wide. While Dragon was still fairly young, the would-be conquerors and challengers dwindled. Peace took hold of the valley and it prospered.
A dragon's life is very long and this dragon had seen may generations of men. It seemed not very long to him before none of the men could remember the old dragon. Men forgot who had brought them peace.
When Dragondale was in danger of being pushed into battle, the inhabitants were happy and proud to have a dragon to protect them. When marauders or other troublemakers showed up in the valley, they were grateful to see the dragon flying overhead. When someone doubted their king's ability to rule, they were relieved that the dragon would be the one to decide without dragging them into a war.
But when things were peaceful, the people were uncomfortable with a dragon among them. As peace became common to them and wars were remembered only as something 'long ago,' a dragon was frightening to have around. Occasionally he would still go out and walk among them, but even when there were those alive who remembered his father, they gave him wide berth.
But whether men remembered or not, Dragon was bound to remain to watch over Dragondale and to keep the peace.