The Dragon Among Men

Prologue

My mother was a gentle soul, my earliest memory was my mother telling me the story of the time she tamed the most fearsome creature of all, the Dragon. It all started on my mothers wedding day, at that time my mother was fascinated with the thoughts of dragons roaming the earth but knew that they were just legend in the eyes of her village and family, but that made this arranged marriage interesting. My mother was betrothed to the grandson of the dragon slayer at the time and never met him before. Even though she never met him in person before, but she felt in her heart that she was doing the right thing for her family. So she sacrificed her happiness for the wellbeing for her family, the one condition of the wedding was that they would be wed in the ways that time forgot; the times of the dragon. She recalled dressing in silks of white and wearing grand pearls and a beautiful headdress and shoes of white. She was lead out of her childhood home out to the dock where she laid in a small canoe where she awaited her groom to pull her across the lake using the rope attached to the boat. As the groom started to pull the rope the village began to sing the old dragon summoning song, another part of the wedding tradition. All was peaceful until the grand sound of wind and roars drowned out the sound of every individual voice of the village, at that moment everyone realized that dragons are very much... real. 

A Dragon appeared out of the blue in all its fearsome and horrid glory, it roared and set its sights on the lake where my mother laid in her canoe frozen by fear. The Dragon then released another roar and made a mighty swoop down and wrapped its giant claws around the canoe and picked it up in the air. The village screams in terror were drowned out by her fathers cries and sobs and attempts to save her, the dragon then left the village and flew a great distance that not even the regular scholars could calculate. She then recalled the dragon dropping her in a hole in the island and leaving, after hours of trying to escape the hole she gave in to the islands demands and gave up for a time. She then told me of a man she met soon after her giving into the island and speaking to this man made the countless hours go by, but she still felt that there was still something threatening about that man. She tells me that she later discovers that the man was indeed the dragon that stole her away from her dragon slaying prince, she was afraid of that mysterious man that she would often have dreams of that man running at her within his dragon for and finally vanquishing her. As she was collecting supplies for her departure of an escape she slowly began gaining favor of this man of a dragon, but one day the dragon took over and started hunting her down all over the island. Once he had her cornered the man took back over and transformed back to a man, he told her to flee and to never come back. She did not hesitate and ran to the boat she repaired in her free time  and took to the sea.

After being in the unforgiving sea for countless hours she finally found a ship, but it was the ship of her betrothed. Nonetheless she was grateful she was found; once she boarded she was asked by her betrothed if the dragon was dead, she lied and said that the dragon died when they landed on the island. She was taken back to the village to be reunited to her family, her father was moved to tears to hear of his daughters return. The day after was their new wedding, she was again placed into silks of white and grand pearls were placed upon her, and a ew headdress was presented to her. She was then walked out of the home once again and place into the canoe similar to the one before, thoughts of the dragon man intruded her thoughts. Her face grew hot and she felt a desire towards him, she fell in love with the dragon. She remarked that the gentle tug of the boat brought her back out of her thoughts. She then closed her eyes and she herself started to sing the dragon summoning song, she remembered breathing every word of that song into the sky with hopes that her dragon would hear her. The sound of overwhelming wind and roars filled the sky, a smile spread across her face. He had come for her once again. He once again took the canoe in his grasp and flew into the sky back to the Island she would call home. Upon arrival he threw the canoe into a cave in the island and landed inside, he made his way to her with a hungry look on his face. He then opened his massive mouth, ready to eat the lamb of a human. She screamed and covered her face while yelling her confessions of love to him, the dragon stopped and soon pulled away from her and just stared at her in awe. 

She lowered her arms and walked over the the awe stricken dragon, the dragon started to cower away from her. she slowed her pace and reached out her hand, she gently placed her hand on the dragons face and told him that she will always love him and never leave him. And that the rest was history. My mother was strong and brave, my father was in fact the dragon from the story that my mother fell in love with. The part I saw was the kind, smart, and gifted but he was a loving soul over all. He taught me how to fly, how to see and read the wind, how to fish for myself, and of course how to the farm the vegetation of the land and what plant I could use for healing herbs. Since my father didn't know how to read or write, my mother taught me that part. We loved being on our own, it was a lot simpler that way. It was just the three of us, it was perfect. until my fifteenth birthday came along. 

It started out as the most beautiful day that I could remember; the sky was clear, fishing seamed a little too easy but that was good. I glanced over and caught father off guard, he was sitting on a tall rock working on something, I set down my pole and quietly snuck over to the rock and started climbing up the tall rock, using its mass as coverage from my fathers eyes.  I made it to the top only to be discovered by my father and the unknown item to be hidden from my sight, I pouted and glanced back up at my father to see him chuckling and adding "Not yet little flame." That was what mother and father called me, in my fathers new tradition we wont receive our names till our fifteenth birthday after completing some tasks. Only then our names will be reveled to us through how we chose to complete our tasks. Father then grabbed my shoulder gently and started leading me back home. I grabbed my pole and the fish I caught and walked with father, as we arrived mother was standing in the door way. I was thrilled to see her standing and walking, recently she hasn't been feeling well. Mother has been eating a lot then throwing it up, but she's been gaining a belly so I'm confused on why her stomach looks like that. I give her a big hug and then held up the fish I caught "Look mother! I caught these for you! Their different from yesterday's fish so I hope they don't make you sick!' She exchanged a look with my father, he looked up at her and blushed. Mother then chuckled and gently took the fish from from "Thank you my little flame! I'll clean these up and we'll have them for dinner." 

She kissed my forehead and then walked through the doorway and then down the hall into the preparation area, I followed her down the hall and then turned past the preparation area into the sleeping area where we all sleep, I walk over to a old looking chest and blew all the dust off the top of the chest. I looked around to see if mother or father are near, then turned my attention back to the chest and opened it quietly. I glanced in to find delicate pieces of art made up of paper and wood at the bottom of the box, I gently picked up the pieces and help them up to the sun to watch the sun shine through the empty parts of the delicate art. I then quickly put them back and closed the chest and looked through the window, I looked to our shores to find big canoes with clouds sitting on our shores. Just then I heard yells roar through the peaceful silence of our island, and hands grab at my shoulders, let our a yelp of a shrek before a hand was clamped onto my mouth. I ripped the hand off and spun around to find my mother holding her finger to her mouth "Little flame, please listen to me. I need you to run down into the cave and hide in there, and don't come out for anything and I mean anything." she said in a hushed voice, I gave her a hesitant nod. Mother then grabbed my face and pressed a kiss onto my forehead and then gave me an unsure smile, she then motioned for me to go. I nodded to her forcing the same unsure smile back, I then run out of our home and made my way down the mountain.

 Yells and screams of pain echoed though the mountain side, then a pained but angry roar rumbled the ground. I missed my footing and slipped down the side of the mountain, I tumbled down the mountain causing deep cuts to for on my arms and legs. I hit a rock and flew into the air and then slammed my chest into a sharp pointed rock, I gasped and then let out the most gruesome scream my ears have ever heard. The pain roars ceased for a moment, then overwhelming wind grew louder and louder. I then catch a glimpse of the dragon of my father fly to my rescue. He landed next to me and transformed back to himself and looked at me in horror and concern, he then went to worked and grabbed some herbs and then placed them around the puncture of the rock ad the outside skin of my chest. he then grabs my shoulder with one hand "Ready?" I look to him with pain swirling in my eyes and nodded. He then pulled me off the rock  and laid me on my back. I was immediately sent into the darkness of the unconsciousness.