“I would also like to greet the lovely princess,” she said in a sarcastic tone. “She is, after all, my husband’s daughter.”
“Viera, I thought we agreed to not do this now,” said Damien in low voice, one that was nonetheless filled with anger.
“Yes, we did agree to that,” she said, smiling at the crowd. Then looking down at Kelly as if observing an abomination of some sort, she said, “But I simply couldn’t wait.”
“I’m sorry,” said Kelly in a shy smile, “But who are you?”
“I’m Viera, Queen of the Valley,” she said, again looking at Kelly in utter contempt. “I am also the Queen that my husband, your father, betrayed with your pathetically human mother.”
“Viera, please,” said Damien, his temper on the verge of eruption. “Not here! Not now!”
“Behold, my fellow dragons,” she said, raising her voice and addressing the crowd. “The bastard child of your King’s scandalous past!”
“Viera, that’s enough!” Damien shouted, so loud that he breathed out a heap of flame in a voice that echoed throughout the valley.
“Very well,” she said, smirking at Damien and then at Kelly. “But know this, my King. This abomination will never help us. Her human hunter’s blood runs fast and frantic through her veins.”
Queen Viera suddenly spread her wings, and performed a frightening yet powerful exit. Damien looked at Crown and said, “Take Kelly inside. She’s seen enough for the day.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” said Mr. Crown, leading Kelly towards the castle.
“Mr. Crown,” said Kelly as she walked with him, “What exactly did she mean by all that?”
“My dear, it is not my place to answer these questions,” he said in a humble voice. “You will learn everything in due course. For now, you must rest.”
Crown lead Kelly inside the castle – a humongous palace, covered with gargoyle statues and spikes. On the inside, the halls were endlessly wide, the ceilings infinitely tall. She had never felt so small, both in size and in spirit. Crown walked her to her room, where she would spend the evening and rest from the traumas of the day. She opened the door, with Crown walking behind her, to find a graceful chamber. Flowers were planted at every corner; the beds were made of gold and beautiful gowns hung about the dressing room for her to use. By the balcony she could see the midnight moon, a large pearl hovering above, casting a light so strong it almost felt like dawn. She stood in the balcony, looking across the valley, watching the dragons go about their night – putting their young ones to sleep, laying their eggs, drinking from the river, etc.
“You used to stay here, you know,” said Crown, “as a little girl.”
Kelly turned around to find Crown in his human form again, standing upright with his hands behind his back and smiling at her ever so gracefully.
“Really?” she asked. “How do you know?”
“Well,” he said, “we used to play together as children.”
“Did we?”
“We did,” he said, laughing subtly.
“Were you not afraid of me?” she asked, having noticed a peculiar fear amongst dragons from the human race.
“Things were simpler back then,” he replied. “In any case, the others wouldn’t play with you so I decided to be a good chap and spend time with you.”
“Did you really?” she said, in a joking and sarcastic tone.
“Yes,” he joked back. “Well, at least until I wasn’t permitted to do so anymore.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean not until William was- “
“Who?” she asked in confusion.
“Never mind that now,” he said. “Just rest for the night.”
“Thank you, Mr. Crown,” she said warmly.
“No, thank you,” he said. “Your presence alone is a significant beacon of hope, for many different reasons.”
Kelly could not quite understand what he meant, but was too exhausted for any further inquiries. She looked about the room, admired its every corner. Suddenly she remembered her life back in New York – her shift, her ambitions to being more than a waitress, etc. However, looking over the valley under that bright full moon, she felt that she didn’t have much of a life to go back to.
She opened the dressing room, and took out one of the gowns – a long white one made of silk. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep on the bed, too tired to even get under the covers. Having fallen into a deep sleep, she did not hear the knocking on the door.
“My lady, I forgot to tell you,” said Mr. Crown, “His Grace asked me to tell you that he wishes to see you tomorrow after breakfast – my lady?”
He slowly pushed the door open, only to find her lying gracefully on the bed. Noticing she was cold from the evening breeze, he quietly took the covers and laid them over her half-dressed body.
Such beauty, he thought. Such simple, unvarnished beauty.
Chapter 3
Kelly opened her eyes to the warmth of the early rising sun. Golden brown, it shone through the curtains, heating up the chilly air outside. The furniture, bright gold and silver, seemed as though it had caught fire. It was one of the most beautiful mornings she’s seen, especially after a lifetime of being stuck in New York, where she could neither see the sun nor the sky from the tall buildings, the smog, the noise. Waking up that morning, she felt home. She felt safe. She was at peace. She got up, stood by the window, and breathed in the cool morning air. She heard a knock on the door, it was Mr. Crown.
“My lady?” he said.
“Just a minute,” she answered back, putting on a robe over her gown.
She opened the door, and found Mr. Crown in his human form, beautiful and graceful as ever.
“Excuse my appearance, sir,” she said shyly. “I’m not too presentable at the moment.”
“You’re perfect,” he quickly said, smiling as though standing before a rare painting. “Absolutely perfect.”
“Oh – thank you,” she said, looking down to her feet, her face turning crimson red. “Where’s my father?”
“Oh, yes. Silly me. This is why I’m here,” he said, shaking his head in slight embarrassment. “He’s asked me to take you to his royal chamber after breakfast. Someone will bring you up something to eat.”
“That sounds good, thank you,” she replied. Pausing for a few seconds, she added, “Can you take me there? I don’t know my way around the castle, you see.”
“I would be more than delighted. Thrilled actually,” he answered, his posture even more upright, almost jittery.
“Lovely,” she said.
“Well,” he concluded, “I shall leave you to get ready. You can find me at the drawing room at the end of the hallway when you’re ready.”
“I won’t be long,” she said.
“Take your time. You’ve always been worth the wait.”
He took her hand and gave it a gentle kiss, and left the room closing the door behind him. By the time she got ready – they had apparently left her a decent amount of human clothing for her in the dressing room – a small dragon brought in a tray with conventional breakfast.
“I was told this is what humans eat, My Lady,” said the rather miniature sized dragon.
Kelly looked at the tray, filled with eggs, toast, and honey.
“It’s perfect,” she said, smiling warmly at the young dragon. “Thank you, you really didn’t have to go through all that trouble.”
“Don’t say that, My Lady,” said the dragon. “You are, after all, our one and only heir.”
She stood silently for a moment, and then turned to the dragon saying, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“Enjoy your breakfast, My Lady,” he said leaving the room.
Kelly didn’t eat much, too occupied with the potential happenings of the day. It was not long before her feelings of fear and anxiety started coming back again as she slowly looked past the surrealism of her surroundings. She got dressed, putting on a blue garment that came with a light
cape and hood, and went outside to meet Mr. Crown. She walked down the hallway, finding the drawing room he told her about. Inside he was standing by the window, dressed in a light white blouse and brown pants, his long hair messy yet moving with the breeze outside.
“Are you going to stay in your human form all day?” she asked, again in a teasing manner.
“Well, His Grace thought it best if you were accompanied by some form of familiarity,” he said. “He thought it would make you more comfortable.”
“It does make me more comfortable,” she said, in a somewhat grateful tone.
“Then it is my pleasure to stay in this form for as long as you need,” he said. “Shall we?” he asked, extending his arm for her to take.
She took Crown’s arm, and he led her down the stairwell and towards a large chamber. He gave three knocks and waited. The door suddenly opened, where the two dragons from the office stood tall and firm.
“His Grace is waiting inside,” one of them said.
As Kelly and Crown walked in, one of the dragons stopped Mr. Crown, pushing its large palm against his chest in a slightly violent manner and said, “Just Lady Kelly, Crown.” Kelly looked at Crown, and was still holding his arm tightly.
“Go in, don’t worry,” he said gently. “I’ll be right outside.”
“Do you promise?” she said, suddenly confused and not knowing why she had said that.
“I promise.”
Kelly walked in rather slowly, frightened by the two dragons, the grand ghastliness of the chamber, but more so, what she was about to hear. She knew that now was the time that she was to be told everything. She knew that everything that wasn’t clear before would now unfold before her eyes. The truth, however, nonetheless frightened her.
“Kelly, thank you for coming,” Damien’s voice said. He suddenly appeared from the shadows. “I’m sorry about my guards, I tell them to smile more but I don’t think they have a sense of humor.”
Kelly laughed, and stood before Damien rubbing her hands together in restless agitation.
“Please, sit down,” Damien said. “Make yourself comfortable.”
She sat on the closest thing that looked like an armchair, and tried to look into his bright blue eyes so as to ease the anxiety. She could not, however, feel comfortable.
“Would it be too much to ask if- “she said, her voice hesitant and shaky.
“Ask what?” he said calmly.
“If you could, you know- “she continued, “-be in your- “
“In my human form?” he asked.
“Well, yes.”
“Most dragons would take great offense to this,” he said laughing. “But I understand why you might feel this way. After all, I fell in love with your mother, a human, and for a long time had never laid eyes on anything as beautiful as her.”
His body caught fire, and he was transformed into his human form – the man she once knew, the only true living parent she had left.
“And my god, you look so much like her,” he said, moving closer to hold her hand. “You have her eyes, you know.”
“Well, I figured,” she said, smiling more comfortably. “I remember your eyes, though.”
“You always loved them as a little girl.”
“I think I still do,” she said.
Damien’s heart warmed up, and he could feel a painful longing for the past. He remembered her, the human woman he fell in love with – Ella. Damien sat before Kelly, leaned closer to her and resting his elbows on his knees.
“Kelly, it’s time that I told you the truth,” he said, his tone now more serious than fatherly.
“Yes, I expect it is time,” she replied. “I’m ready. I’m ready to know.”
“I’m afraid you have no other choice than to be ready.”
Kelly braced herself for what was to be the strangest, most frightening, and most painful story she was ever told.
“You see, Kelly,” he began, “for centuries the dragon race and the human race had been in violent dispute. Thousands of years ago, long before the dawn of human civilization, human and dragons had indeed lived relatively peacefully. They would live together, hunt together, and generally work towards each other’s thriving survival. Humans had their own caves, while dragons lived close by in villages between the woods. They would often meet for celebrations, and call upon each other’s help when in grave danger. For many years, humans relied on the protection granted to them by the dragon race. Humans were amongst the weakest and most fragile species, while dragons were amongst the strongest, most powerful, and most resilient. They shared a history of mutual respect and understanding, and never broke one another’s trust for any reason whatsoever. But then things changed. Or more accurately, humans changed.
They began changing their customs, their traditions and values, and their way of life altogether. They spoke of principles of “trade” and “accumulation”, of “profit” and “power”, values grossly unfamiliar to either dragons or the generations of humans that lived peacefully with them. The hostilities between the two species are marked by single incident, one that dragons call “The Hour of Evil”. Humans had begun dividing themselves into groups that were based on wealth and accumulation. Such divisions created several problems between them. They began hurting each other, cheating and lying to one another, and finally, killing each other – for profit, for what they later called “money”. The Hour of Evil is marked by the first hostile action taken by a human against a dragon. Upon one dark evening, a young dragon was found murdered in the forest – its neck slit open, its skin ripped off its bone, and its teeth pulled out. It was later known that humans began an enterprise. They would hunt and sell dragon skins and teeth. The word soon spread about, and more and more dragons were found murdered.
Dragons, finding no other mean of protecting themselves, waged war on the human race, thinking they could easily combat them given the meekness of the human form. However, little did the dragons know that the human race had been “inventing”. They created weapons, weapons that created the most tragic destructions possible. The dragons did not stand a chance, and flew off into hiding, until this very day. We are forced to live off scarce resources, and when in desperate need, we transform ourselves into human form and go looking for food throughout the planet – a planet which is now almost entirely made up of the human race.
The human race has left nothing for us. It has driven us to the darkest corners of the world, where we are dying off by the day. We have become a species in exile. We are told that because it has been years since we’ve last appeared. Most humans think that we never existed. They call us “fairytale creatures”, and only speak of us in legends and myths, sometimes even to scare their young. To the world, we are no longer real. To the world, we do not exist. And it is only a matter of time until we truly perish from the face of the earth.”
Having finished the story, Damien looks up at Kelly only to find her drenched in tears.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to hide her tears, trying to appear strong. “I had no idea. No one had any idea.”
“I know, my child,” he said, holding her hand tightly. “I know. But it is time they knew the truth.”
“But, why me?” she asked, relentlessly trying to wipe away her tears. “Why bring me here? How am I related to all this?”
“Yes,” he said, looking shamefully to his feet. “This is, in fact, the hard part. But you must also know that it is one of the reasons we still believe that humans can change, and that the dragon race can be saved.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, more confused than ever yet with a shimmering light of hope in her eyes.
“When I was younger,” he began, “I would often change form and travel amongst the human race looking for possibility of change, of hope.”
Kelly sat straight up, listening to her father like a curious child.
“I was walking down a street,” he said, “fascinated by the immense speed with which humans evolve, looking at the so
ns and daughters of generations that slaughtered my people and forced them into hiding. And then I saw her, a bright beacon of sunshine standing in the middle of the crowd. She smiled at me, and the disappeared into the surge of humans.”
Kelly’s eyes lit up, and her tears dried up and were replaced by a warm smile.
“Suddenly, and completely out of the blue,” he continues with a silent laugh, “I heard a voice from behind saying, ‘flower?’. I turned around and saw her, standing there in white and passing around white lilies. I took the flower, smelled it and looked at her. ‘Nobody stops for beauty these days, wouldn’t you say so?’, she said. And that’s when it all started…”
“Was that...,” Kelly asked, “Was that my mother?”
“Yes, my child,” Damien said taking Kelly’s hands. “That’s the human I fell in love with, the woman who brought you into my life – you, my most precious gift.”
“But…what about your Queen?” she asked. “Is that why she was angry?”
Damien looked to his feet again, his face reddening with both shame and frustration.
Love of A Dragon (Exalted Dragons Book 1) Page 3
