“My fellow dragons,” Damien said, his voice violently proud and authoritatively loud. “Welcome to yet another evening twilight, to another nearing dawn. As I did in the past nights, and as I shall do throughout the coming ones, I summon you all here today so remind you of our past, of our present, and of our future.”
Kelly stood silent and unmoving, watching the heap of dragons stand in solidarity, in harmony, as her father narrated the story of the dragons and the battle with the humans. Standing before the raging bonfire, he blew into it. Suddenly the flames changed into figures, and the fire transformed into a series of burning images that told the story from beginning to end. Kelly watched as the flames illustrated the blissful past of the dragons. She saw them spread about the planet, enjoying the fruits nature had to offer with no scarcity and no restraint. She saw them living side by side with the humans. They would feast together, enjoy mutual festivals, sharing stories and villages and homes. And then she saw it – the horrid hour her father told her about. She saw the ghastliness of the Hour of Evil. She saw the human, his eyes full of rage, full of spite, taking a sharp spear and tearing into a small dragon’s heart. She covered her mouth, full of tears and falling to her knees. She saw how the human skinned the poor creature, taking out its heart, pulling out its bones, removing its teeth. She saw how the poor dragon laid on the ground, lifeless and unholy, its soul escaping fearfully into the night. She looked around her, watching the dragons weep, holding each other’s hands and struggling to stand upright.
From the Hour of Evil sprung the story of centuries of battles. She saw humans marching with large weapons and striking dragons in the most unnatural ways possible. She saw dragons trying to fight for themselves, trying to save themselves, until they were all driven into hiding. She watched the story of poverty and suffering unfold before her eyes. She watched them run out of resources throughout the years, forced to transform into human forms to keep their young fed.
She saw the true story of the dragons, all of it burning wildly in one giant bonfire. By the end of it all, she was on the ground in tears, with Crown lying next to her and pressing her cheeks to his chest. He held her as she wept, trying to comfort her by softly caressing the curve of her shoulders, the curls of her hair.
“But still,” continued Damien, “We must not despair.”
Kelly looked up as her father resumed his oration.
“Do not despair, my children,” he said. “Just as we all stand here beneath this shimmering night sky, awaiting the hope that comes with the new dawn, so does our future await the hope of a new rising sun. When there is a will, there is a way, and today I inform you that we have in our presence the very bearer of such hope.”
He looked at Kelly, smiling and full of tears.
“Things are going to change,” he said. “As your king, as your one and only guardian, I solemnly make you all that very promise.”
The ritual came to an end, and the crowds dispersed into their day to day occupations as the rising sun turned the blackness of the sky into a wondrous canvas of blue, red, and yellow. Kelly was ready to go back to her room, Crown holding her arm and prepared to walk her when they heard a distant voice.
“Kelly?”
Kelly turned around to find a tall dragon, large and muscular looking straight at her.
“William,” said Crown.
“Crown,” replied William.
“You two know each other?” asked Kelly, confused.
“Yes,” said Crown, grunting. “General William is a senior officer in the dragon army.”
Turning to William, Crown asked, “What are you doing here? I thought you were out in the Siberian fronts, protecting dragons as they hunted for food to bring back here?”
“I was,” said William. “But then I heard the Princess was brought home and, as you know, I had to come straight back.”
“Yes, yes,” said Crown. “I know.”
“Know what?” asked Kelly, interrupting. “I’m sorry, but can someone please explain to me what’s going on here?”
“General William was –” Crown said, hesitant, “a former acquaintance of yours.”
“Former acquaintance? How so?” she asked.
“Come on, dear old Crown,” said William, “I believe Princess Kelly and I are more than just former acquaintances, wouldn’t you say so?”
“Yes, well…” Crown tried to correct himself, but failing to say the words. “General William was…”
“My dear Princess,” said William strongly, “you and I were destined to marry.”
“I’m sorry,” Kelly interrupted, “destined to what?”
William took Kelly’s hand, and explained to her how, before she disappeared, she and William were destined to marry and be the future King and Queen of Valley of the Dragons.
“I have no recollection of this,” Kelly said.
“Oh, my dear,” William said, “of course you don’t. You have no recollection of anything.”
“But that’s not true,” she said. “I’m starting to feel things, things I remember feeling. And when it comes to affectionate friendships it was only with – “she suddenly paused, looking at Crown.
“I don’t know who you’ve been spending time with, my darling,” William said sternly. “Memories can be altered, if not even manufactured, if one chooses to do so,” he continued, looking furiously at Crown. “Let me take you home.”
Crown, looking as though he’d taken a dagger to the heart, began to distance himself from what was once a destined couple, believing William was to take Kelly home.
“Mr. Crown had already shown me the way,” she suddenly said. “Thank you, General William. But I think I’ll walk myself.”
Crown looked at her, warmly smiling.
Chapter 5
Kelly went back to her room, again feeling the frustration of failing to remember a very significant past. Not only was she frustrated, but she was also confused as to why her father, Damien, neglected to tell her this seemingly important part of the story. Was this ‘General William’ lying? She thought. But even Crown seemed to have known something, and so she felt as though her mind had been standing on the fragile thread of uncertainty. She thought about going to see her father, and to ask him about this strange incident. She then remembered William’s words. ‘Destined’ to marry, she thought. What did he mean by ‘destined’? And what happened – or almost happened – last night with Mr. Crown? Can it be true? Do I feel something for him?
Lost in her thoughts, she collapsed on her bed and fell fast asleep, the sound of chippering birds singing her to sleep.
She got up in a few hours, feeling quite uneasy. She wasn’t sure what to make of what happened last night, and the constant thought of why she couldn’t remember now bothered her more than ever. Her frustration and confusion suddenly shifted to raging anger – anger towards the one creature who robbed her of a very precious thing, one’s history. She abruptly stood up and made the decision to go see her – Queen of the Valley, the one who cursed her, the one who killed her mother, Queen Viera.
Viera hadn’t shown herself since the day Kelly arrived. She was, as some of the servants whispered, in her chamber wallowing in resentment and rage for her husband’s, and the entire villages for that matter, siding with Kelly. They all seemed in agreement that Kelly not only has every right to return, but also that she truly might be the one and only hope the dragons have to rising back from hiding, and living a peaceful, as well as thriving, life alongside all of nature’s creatures, including the humans. Kelly was naturally afraid to trespass Viera’s privacy, but knew that they both would have to face each other one way or another. The sooner they got over this, thought Kelly, the better.
She summoned one of the dragon servants in her hall, and asked for him to call for Mr. Crown and ask if he could meet Kelly in the castle gardens, preferably as soon as he could. Crown received the news of Kelly’s request to see him, and flew with enormous speed to go see her.
Landing i
nto the castle gardens, Crown shifted into his human form and approached Kelly who had been standing by a small bed of white and blue roses.
“You asked to see me?” said Crown.
“Oh, yes I did,” she replied. “I am so glad you could make it.”
“I wouldn’t miss on your calling for anything,” he said.
“That’s very kind of you to say,” Kelly smiled. “You see, it has to do with what happened last night.”
“My darling, so you’ve made a decision?”
“A decision about what?”
Crown had apparently been under the impression that Kelly had remembered everything, and had called him to inform him of her decision – the decision of whether she wanted to be with him or with William. Her last question, however, indicated that she was still as confused as ever, and had no recollection of the past, let alone was able to decide on feelings she still wasn’t sure were real.
“Oh…” Crown muttered, lowering his head to feet in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I thought that you…”
“You thought that I had what?”
“Never mind, my Princess,” he said humbly, fixing his posture upright. “I was mistaken. Please, tell me why you wanted to see me.”
“Yes, I called you here because I wanted your opinion on something,” she began, brushing off what she thought was probably an insignificant misunderstanding.
“Of course,” he said. “How can I be of assistance?”
“You see, I’ve been having enormous trouble remembering my past,” she said. “And no matter how hard I try, or how clear the clues are, I simply can’t remember anything.”
“Yes, I can see that.”
“And it has been causing me relentless frustration, confusion, and anger,” she said, raising her voice and pacing back and forth through the garden. “It’s a horrid, horrid curse. What have I done to deserve this?”
“I should assume that His Grace, your father, told you how and why you’ve become this way.”
“Yes, he told me,” replied Kelly, her face bright red with rage. “He told me how Viera cursed me, how she killed my mother and left me lost in my present and unable to remember my past.”
“What Her Grace, Queen Viera, did was indeed a wretched thing,” said Crown, trying to comfort Kelly. “What she did became a key reason for the endless quarrels between our King and Queen. I don’t think he ever forgave her.”
“I know why she did it,” Kelly said. “I know how she felt the pain of betrayal strike her straight in the heart. But does this justify what she did to me? I am a ruined woman, buried beneath the rubbles of a fragmented past. I am unable to build a future, simply because I have no foundation upon which to resurrect a new life”
Kelly’s words were as painful for Crown to hear as they were for Kelly to voice. He was immensely touched by Kelly’s suffering. She was a bright woman, and a kind and compassionate soul. It was in that moment that Crown felt it – his love for Kelly.
Am I in love? He thought to himself. Yes. Yes, I am in love.
Crown moved slowly towards Kelly, taking her hand and squeezing it between his palms.
“How can I help?” he asked. “Tell me what you need me to do, and I will do it.”
“Do you mean that?” Kelly asked, looking him straight in the eye with absolute relief.
“If only you knew how much I meant it.”
“Oh, Mr. Crown,” she said. “Sometimes I feel that you’re the only part of this whole dream-like story that makes me feel like I am truly not alone.”
“As long as I am here,” he said firmly, “you will never be alone.”
They both held each other’s hands for a few moments, looking intensely into one another’s eyes. Kelly took a deep breath, and said, “I want to go see Viera.”
“As in go speak to her?” said Crown in surprise. “Are you sure? You don’t think it’s a little risky?”
“I know it doesn’t seem very wise,” said Kelly. “But I feel that she knows things the others don’t. Or even if they do know, then only she can tell me.”
“What will you say to her? How will you even approach her without watching her blow a thousand raging flames at your fragile human form?”
“I am aware of those dangers, Mr. Crown,” said Kelly. “But with your help, these dangers can be drastically reduced, if not eliminated.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is,” she said, “I want you to help me understand her, to tell me what need to do in order to approach her. She is, after all, your Queen and as I understand it you know quite a great deal about her.”
“Well, yes I do,” Crown said. “But I feel like it’s too dangerous.”
“I’ve lived my life in the shadows, Mr. Crown,” she said. “If we all remain crippled by fear, how do we ever expect to save ourselves?”
“Spoken like the true heiress of this Valley,” he said, his smile wider than ever.
“Great, so you’ll help me?” she asked.
“I will,” he replied, “with every fiber of my bones.”
They sat on a bench, and Crown started to tell you a little about Viera, who she was before she became queen, how she met Damien, how they fell in love, and how they aimed to save the dragon race together.
“She was madly in love with him, you see,” explained Crown. “And so was he. They were the epitome of the perfect monarchy, and the entire village was certain they would change things together.”
“And the of course, my mother came into the equation,” said Kelly.
“Yes, precisely,” replied Crown. “But you must also bear something in mind.”
“What’s that?”
“Viera and Damien never really shared the same outlook, neither towards the human race nor towards any ways possible for them to change things.”
“How so?”
“Viera had always hated humans, as your father must have told you,” he said.
“Yes, he did tell me about her family and what they did to her personally.”
“Exactly. So Viera believed, with every part of her heart, that the only way for the dragon race to move forwards is to eliminate the human race altogether.”
“As opposed to my father of course,” she said.
“Yes,” continued Crown. “Your father, like mine, believed in a wholesome reconciliation with the humans. In other words – “
“They believed in humans,” said Kelly.
“Exactly. They believed, and your father still believes in the kind heartedness of humans, and in their abilities to change.”
“But,” said Kelly, “how then do I even approach Viera? Her first instinct would probably be to blow me into pieces!”
“Unless you show her that you understand her,” said Crown. “You must prove to her that, unlike the many others, you truly understand what she’s been through. You must try to connect with her. You must try to show her what she refuses to see.”
They talked for more hours to come, until it the sun went down – the time when Queen Viera was expected to be unoccupied in her chamber. It was time.
Kelly went back to the castle, and was accompanied by Crown to the other end of the palace, where only Viera lived, alone with a group of loyal servants. By the time they reached the main gate, Crown knew that he had to leave. It was as far as he could bring her. He was fully aware that if he entered with her, it would open a Pandora’s box of problems with Damien, and with many other dragons. The only reason things were kept relatively at peace between Viera, her few followers, and the rest of the population was the knowledge that they could live on their own in one branch of the palace. Most of the servants in Viera’s branch had not even seen Kelly, the angelic hybrid everyone had been talking about, the holy princess, the glorified heiress and symbol of change.
“This is where I leave you,” said Crown, with a rather concerned look on his face. “Every step we take, I wonder if this isn’t a very good idea after all.”
“Well,” said
Kelly, “we’re passed that now. It must be done, and there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”
“I know,” he said. “You’re as stubborn as ever. That part of you has clearly not changed.”
“And I don’t think it ever will,” she said, laughing.
“I’ll be right outside. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I trust you won’t,” she said.
Just as Kelly was about to touch the handle on the main gate, she found herself grabbed by the wrist and pulled back. Crown pulled her close to his chest, tracing his hands down the small of her back, staring intensely at her lips.
“Take this with you,” he whispered.
He pressed his lips against hers, pressing her breasts tightly against his chest. Opening her mouth, Kelly felt his tongue make its way around hers, brushing over her lips, her tongue, her chin. He then let her go, and said, “Kelly, I’m in love with you.” Kelly was speechless, struck by the heat of the moment, the feelings she’d been having for him, the confusion of her past, and the dangers that lie behind that grand chamber door.
“I…,” she said, “I don’t know what to say.”
Love of A Dragon (Exalted Dragons Book 1) Page 5
