Then she explained to the audience that the knights before them were descendants of brave knights who had previously lived in the kingdom. Everyone applauded. She thanked the group before her for attending the celebration in honor of their new queen. Then the queen and Caroline went to sit down.
The queen’s first knight helped with the horses while each man dismounted. Another knight helped direct them onstage.
The queen had taken a seat in order to allow another speaker to give the history of the kingdom. In his speech, the man talked about the special bond the royal family had to the land and their resolve to protect it. The speaker described what the peaceful kingdom was like when it was a thriving society and why people would come from all around the world to vacation and even live there. The kingdom was once prosperous because of the fine goods that the people made and sold. He then yielded to the queen.
The queen returned to her place onstage and said, “On this day, Queen Caroline shall be given the deed to the land where the great Kingdom of the Last Dragon once flourished. This hereby fulfills the promise my family made so long ago. This commitment was written in our journals and the fulfillment of this promise once again reunites our alliance.”
The queen announced that on this day, each one of the men who stood before the audience would be knighted. The eight knights were lined up in a row. The knights were dressed in armor. The monarch signaled for her knight to ask Anthony, Dimitrios, Charles, Carson and Wayland to stand alongside of them as honorary knights. The queen’s knights came and stood beside them. Her knights were each holding a long black box.
The queen at this time called for Charles, Carson, Anthony, Dimitrios and Wayland to stand before her, each man was accompanied with one of her knights. She asked each knight to open the box in his hand revealing shining swords with crystals on the handle and a dragon etched into the blade. The queen walked in front of Anthony and presented him with the sword in the box. She did the same for Carson, Charles, Dimitrios and Wayland. Next she began calling the names of the eight knights, one at a time, and they each went to stand before her. One of her knights accompanied each man. At that time the monarch asked her knights to open their boxes revealing identical shining swords with crystals on the handle and a dragon etched into the blade. One by one she took a new sword from each box that her knights held. Holding the sword in her hand, she asked each man to be knighted to kneel before her: Thomasen, Owen, Gabriel, Elov, Thaddeus, Hunter, Elias, and Rhys. She performed the knighting ceremony for each of them. After the queen was finished, the knights along with Charles, Carson, Anthony, Dimitrios and Wayland each received a silver shield with a golden dragon embossed on it from her pages. They were then escorted back to their original standing place.
The knights and honorary knights set their shields down on the stage and held their sword point down touching the stage before the queen presented each man with a belt and sheath for their sword. The queen’s knights helped each of the newly knighted men put the belt that was given around his waist. Each man took his sword and placed it in its sheath. One by one they picked up their shields. The queen finished her speech as the last knight put his sword into his sheath and picked up his shield. The audience stood and applauded.
The queen said, “It is now time for the knights to mount their horses and ride to the Kingdom of the Last Dragon.” The queen’s knights helped each newly knighted man get settled on his horse and showed them to the Kingdom of the Last Dragon.
While the knights and men were riding to the kingdom, the ladies were escorted to the carriage. The queen beckoned for Caroline to follow her saying, “I have planned a special surprise for you.” Two attendants followed them to Virgil’s cabin.
Once inside the dwelling, the queen and Caroline entered separate bedrooms, each with an attendant. Caroline saw a box setting on the bed and riding boots nearby. The attendant helped Caroline change her clothes into a split riding skirt and a blouse with frills flowing down the front. When the queen came from the bedroom, Caroline saw she had on similar clothing. Both ladies continued to wear their crowns.
When the ladies emerged from the cabin, a knight brought a beautiful white horse for each to ride. Each horse was equipped with an English sidesaddle. The knight first helped the queen to mount her horse and then he turned to help Caroline. The two ladies rode their horses side by side. They had a conversation about what was going to take place once they arrived.
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Airabelle flew down and rode on Charles’ shoulder, and Airasten rode on Carson’s shoulder. They rode for a short while before they came to the ruins of the Kingdom of the Last Dragon. When everyone assembled before the stage, the queen, Caroline, her knights and the honorary knights dismounted and stepped up to the stage. They all gathered in a line. The knights of the Last Kingdom, Charles, Carson, Anthony, Dimitrios and Wayland each handed their swords and equipment to an assistant. The assistants placed the items into leather bags and left the stage. The queen’s knight presented the queen with a scroll, which she in turn gave to Caroline. The queen announced that the scroll was the deed to the land that the kingdom occupied. Caroline thanked her.
The queen’s assistant stepped forward and announced, “Your Majesty and Queen Caroline of the Kingdom of the Last Dragon thank you for coming tonight. They invite you to enjoy and partake in the celebration on the grounds. It will be announced when Virgil’s fireside story will take place for all to attend. Enjoy yourselves please.”
That’s when the fun began. Everyone had an opportunity to enjoy games. Musicians were playing popular songs, while dancers formed groups to dance and puppeteers were performing at stages nearby. Some knights performed demonstrations of their fencing skills and some were giving lessons in archery. Everywhere the queen’s group looked, there was something to do. The Queen of England moved across the stage to take a seat to watch everyone. Jesters came and lightheartedly entertained her. Dimitrios sat down next to her. He thanked the queen for bringing Cassia. Then he turned to focus his attention on her.
The queen leaned over and said, “My dear friend, I was hoping you wouldn’t mind that I invited her.” She smiled at him. “Honestly I have no idea whatsoever why you don’t just marry her. I’ve seen the way you look at her.” She looked over the crowd at Cassia and nodded.
The queen then said, “I think you should consider a commitment. A ring would look beautiful on her dainty finger.”
He whispered in her ear, “Your Majesty, are you matchmaking?”
“My dear, I can tell when a match is made in heaven.”
Dimitrios slowly nodded, knowing she was correct. He glanced around the area and noticed the dance floor was occupied. He rose from his chair then with a bow, left the queen to find Cassia and request a dance.
Caroline came and sat next to the queen.
The queen said, “Caroline, I have never had so much fun as I had putting this celebration together for you.”
Caroline said, “Thank you for your generosity. I’m moved by what you have done for me tonight. It’s absolutely extravagant.” The queen was pleased that Caroline appreciated her effort in creating a memorable celebration.
When the festivities began to slow down, the queen’s assistant thanked everyone for coming. He invited them to continue the celebration by gathering at the tables provided for the evening dinner. The guests clapped and the festivities continued. The queen asked everyone in her company to follow her. She was escorted to a large purple tent that was fringed in gold. As soon as she drew near to the tent, the flaps were opened and she walked inside. As her followers entered the tent, they noticed many tables were provided. The tables had colorful floral arrangements on them and place cards where guests were to sit. Everyone searched for their name card and stood at their assigned chair. Virgil, Charles, Caroline, Carson, Bev, and Anthony were assigned to the queen’s table. After the monarch sat in her chair, everyone in the room sat at their assigned places. Caroline asked Charles to place the deed
to the kingdom in his jacket pocket for safekeeping. The musicians began to play classical music. The attendants served everyone a sumptuous dinner. As the guests ate the prepared native food, the queen’s personal attendant elaborated on the festivities that would be taking place during the evening hours on the grounds. The final event of the night would be Virgil’s Fire Time Story planned to be the grand finale for the celebration.
The Queen of England thanked her then turned to Caroline. She very quietly said, “My dear, I must have a private conversation with you that you must reveal to no one.”
Caroline nodded and leaned toward her.
“Catherine was a special friend of mine and through the years we grew very close. Well, as close as a queen can become to someone. I have to admit, I was sad that she believed she could not claim that she was the rightful heir to the throne of this magnificent kingdom. The land is simply stunning and its potential to one day thrive again is imminent. She would have become an excellent queen; but we all have to choose our paths in life. She chose what was important to her. Through the ages, the monarchy has waited patiently for the rightful heir to come forward and claim the throne. You are an answer to prayers.”
The queen turned to speak quietly to Charles, then returned her gaze back to Caroline.
“Caroline, you do realize Charles is possibly going to be the next prime minister of Bridgeiro. If he becomes the next prime minister, then he will most likely follow in Anthony’s footsteps. Anthony is a man of integrity and has proven himself very trustworthy. He will be an excellent mentor. If Charles takes advantage of the opportunities presented to him, then he will have the capability of being even greater than Anthony.” She paused. “Anthony is one of the most influential leaders throughout the universe, and is the wealthiest man on Earth.”
Caroline strained to hear the queen. Her words soon drifted off when she was interrupted by her assistant. Caroline turned to find out what was so important. She thought she heard the queen say, “At some point an alliance will have to be made. Together the two of you…” Caroline was momentarily left puzzled by what she thought she heard.
The queen’s assistant had been bombarded with questions from the guests and she was impatient to get the official answers. The queen conversed with her assistant before she turned around in her chair to view the room.
When she noticed that everyone had finished eating the meal, the queen signaled her assistant to make an announcement. “Now that you have finished your meals you may enjoy yourselves with the continuing festivities outside. We will meet again when it is time for Virgil’s Fire Time Story.” Everyone applauded then orderly disbanded to enjoy and partake of the festivities.
Before leaving the table, Wayland leaned over and whispered in Natalie’s ear, “Journeymen have traveled to many places on this planet and have seen much of what is out beyond the eternal borders. We keep a record of it in our archives. I, myself, have never been here before today. I have however heard tales of the opulence and grandeur that once drew people to this kingdom from lands far, far away. I’ll have to tell you about the stories that I’ve heard later.”
An hour later smoke was seen in the distance. It was clear that Virgil was preparing the bonfire to begin his portion of the celebration. The queen gave the signal for the trumpeters to announce it was time for this part of the celebration to cease. The queen stood and requested that her guests accompany the guide standing on the path. Everyone followed the guide and queen to the performance site, where they were able to find chairs surrounding a large fire. Its embers crackled and popped up into the night sky. Suddenly Virgil appeared dramatically from a cloud of smoke. Some of the audience members were taken by surprised and gasped. Everyone clapped at his dramatic entrance. Virgil stood before the onlookers gazing off into the distance. The guests noticed the flames in the fire were beginning to turn various shades of blue and purple as he started to tell the story of the last dragon. The flames seemed to create images from within. No one could take his or her sight away from the flame’s pictures. When Virgil said the word “dragon”, flames shot up into the sky creating a red dragon out of the sparks.
Virgil’s tale began, “This story is about a brave prince, who was also a valiant knight in the king’s army. It all began when the people of the kingdom became frightened of the tales they had heard of a ferocious dragon that shared their land. The people of the land approached the king and pleaded for him to do something about the dragon because they were afraid that it would kill them, their families and their livestock. Word spread throughout the world that a ferocious predator now plagued the once prosperous kingdom. This caused travelers to cease visiting the kingdom paradise. Soon there were no travelers coming to the realm to vacation or to buy from their skilled craftsmen.
“The king, at various times, sent his knights on expeditions in order to kill the dragon, but they could never locate it. The frustrated king knew his son didn’t fear the dragon, for the prince had seen the beast on numerous occasions and it had never tried to harm him. So the king sent his only son to find the dragon and slay it.
“Dutifully the prince set out on the king’s quest. The kingdom was joyous that there was hope once again. The prince found the dragon within its lair in a mountainside cavern. When he beheld the beautiful creature, the young knight couldn’t bring himself to kill it. Instead he allowed the beast to fly away.
“On his journey down the mountainside, the prince discovered a dragon’s claw. The young man returned to the king with the large talon. He tried to tell his father that he had seen the dragon, and that it had escaped. However the king only chose to hear that the dragon was gone forever. He proclaimed the beast had been slain, and that the kingdom was now safe. They would all thrive once again, as they had in the past. The young prince tried to correct the story but no one would listen.
“The dragon remained absent from the area for years, and the kingdom flourished once again. People told tales of the brave prince and he became a legend. One day the prince became ruler over the land.
“After a reign of several years, a war broke out under mysterious circumstances. The king’s people were killed in battle, trying to protect their king and kingdom. At the end of the battle, the king was a king without a kingdom. On that very day, the dragon returned. The king sought to discover the location of the dragon. He intended to provoke the beast into killing him. When the king confronted the dragon, he tried to taunt it into executing him until he, the king, was exhausted; but the dragon ignored him. The king was so weary that he fell asleep beside the beast. When he awoke, the king found that the dragon had left him a fish for his meal. From that period of time forward, the king befriended and cared for the not so ferocious dragon. The two learned to coexist in peace and harmony sharing the land’s abundance. The two lived contentedly ever after, taking care of each other.”
Virgil finished the fireside play. Everyone stood. The crowd cheered and applauded, amazed at the performance they had just witnessed. The queen walked over to Virgil and he bowed to her. She held out her hand to acknowledge his skilled storytelling. Everyone cheered again. They were still astounded by the images he had created within the flames as he told the story. The guests stood in small groups as they talked and warmed themselves by the fire.
The knights came over to Caroline and said, “Your Majesty.”
Caroline said, “Caroline please.”
The knight who seemed to be the spokesman for all the knights said, “Your Majesty, this has been a lovely evening and a delightful celebration in your honor.”
Caroline said, “I am glad you have enjoyed yourselves. The Queen of England is the one who deserves all the credit for such a magnificent celebration.”
“We were all talking together earlier. We all previously thought the family stories we had heard were all make-believe from some sort of fairy tale--until now. Now we understand. This has been an incredible adventure. From the moment we arrived in the kingdom, we were in awe of the nat
ural beauty of the land. We’ve seen things we couldn’t have imagined ever seeing in our lifetimes. It has been fascinating to explore the area. We want you to know we appreciate the gesture of becoming your knights, but we can’t stay. We all have families and they need us back home.”
Caroline said, “I understand your concerns. You’re welcome to come here whenever you like.”
The knights looked at each other. The leader said, “Thank you. I love the sword and the shield. May I continue to keep both in order to remember this night?”
She nodded. “You may. I hope you will always remember the Kingdom of the Last Dragon.”
Then they all put their arms around each other and formed a circle. The leader cried out, “Hail to Queen Caroline of the Kingdom of the Last Dragon!”
They repeated, “Hail to Queen Caroline!”
It was a very moving moment, and one of the knights said, “Let’s agree to meet again on the same day, five years from now.” Everyone agreed.
Virgil came to join the group. They allowed him in. Caroline explained that the knights were returning home at the end of the evening.
To change the topic, one of the knights said, “You are a masterful storyteller. I’ve never seen or heard a story quite like the one you told.” Everyone clapped.
Virgil thanked them, and said, “I have something for each of you to take when you depart. As we head back in the direction from which we came, stop by my cottage. I’d like to present it to you.” They agreed to the suggestion.
After everyone stood to leave the bonfire, those left in charge of the final cleanup brought water in buckets to put out the flames. The knights mounted their horses. The queen’s knight helped her mount the horse she previously rode. Charles brought the horse Caroline rode earlier. He helped her to mount and then turned to mount his horse. The ladies stepped into the carriage and everyone progressed to Virgil’s cottage.
When they arrived, the guests stood near or sat on Virgil’s porch. The queen and Caroline entered his cabin with their attendants. They entered the bedrooms once more and changed into their coronation gowns. Once dressed, the ladies joined the other guests on the porch.
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