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Tamer of Dragons - Part Two
by
JAS
“Listen to
me!” the dragon roared with such a force that
William’s mouth dropped open. He dropped Mel
into the pure white snow.
“Leave me be, dragon,” William said, no longer
screaming. His voice was quiet now, and he used
a begging tone. “Please, leave me be,” he continued
to plea.
“I’m only here because you called,” the dragon
informed him. “And only to help you.” William
shook his head; he didn’t need help from a dragon!
He wanted it to leave so he could break down into
tears once more. He and Mel had been so close, and
such strange things were happening, too much for
him to handle. They heard a low growling. William
slowly turned to see what it was. To his surprise, there
stood a medium sized dog, its chest pure white and
the rest of his fur coal black.
“No, Jorlin!” he yelled in a panic. Jorlin was his
dog, a gift his uncle had given him three years
ago. It had been his good friend over the years and
he couldn’t bear losing another friend for he had
so few
these days. “Jorlin, stay!” But of course brave,
fearless Jorlin would not obey his master this
time. He
lunged forward, toward the green dragon. “Dragon,
please, don’t hurt him!” he cried out fiercely.
The dragon ignored him; the only thing he was
paying attention to now was the madly barking
dog jumping around in front of him, teasing him.
And he happened to be hungry, as dragons were
always
hungry. The dog looked like such a tasty morsel… He
couldn’t pass up the chance, he refused to.
All William saw as he ran forward to try and stop
Jorlin, was the flash of white teeth, each one as
sharp as a dagger, and blood. Jorlin had stopped
barking. He had to turn his head after this. Only
when
the sound of the dragon gorging ceased did William
choose to face the dragon once more.
“No!”
“What?” the dragon questioned, innocently licking
the blood from around his mouth. All that was
left of Jorlin was a pile of clean shiny bones. The
dragon spat out another into the pile and made a
grunting, satisfied sound. William wanted to vomit;
he gagged but nothing came out. The dragon watched
curiously as William struggled to lift Mel’s
corpse. Looking up, William shook his head.
“You can’t…” he began.
“Eat her?” the dragon asked. “No, I only eat live
food. I only wondered if you needed help carrying
her.”
William was about to accept, and then changed
his mind. He wasn’t going to set her on the very
thing that killed her.
“She was frightened to death,” William informed the
dragon. “You frightened her to death.”
“You brought her to the spot I roam,” the dragon
answered simply. “I didn’t kill her, I did nothing.”
William hadn’t thought of it that way. He had
killed his sister. It had been him that took her
there in the
first place. But he didn’t think anything like this
would happen. William sighed, giving in; he
wouldn’t be
able to carry her the whole way to the palace
anyway.
“Land away from the palace,” William urged as he tried
to push Mel upon the bending dragon. As he
mounted the dragon’s back, he scraped himself on
the sharp scales. As he waited there, he fumbled
with
his coat buttons. He felt no excitement for his
first ride on a dragon, he wasn’t nervous. He felt
nothing, he
was too depressed to feel anything other then
gloom.
The flapping started, the wind whipped at him,
blowing his hair in every direction. The wind blew
so fiercely it was hard for him to breathe. William
didn’t look down, didn’t pay attention to the
sights, he
only sat their solemnly, waiting impatiently for it
all to be over.
“Away from the palace you said?” the dragon rumbled.
“Don’t you want everyone to know you’re a
dragon tamer, boy?”
William was silent for a
moment, thinking of what to say in reply.
“If I am what you say, dragon,” he said, “then why
couldn’t I stop you from eating my dog?”
“You need training. If you don’t get it, you won’t
be able to control your magic,” he answered. “And
you’re young, your magic hasn’t grown to its full
strength yet.”
“How will I get a trainer?” William wanted to know.
“Only dragon tamers can train me and they’re
all dead.”
“Did I say they were dead?” snapped the dragon.
“They’re not dead! And not just dragon tamers
can train you. Books, dragons, those who have
studied dragon tamers are also able to. I know a
fellow
who would be willing.”
“Drop me off here, dragon,” William ordered.
Once they were on solid ground, William dragged Mel
off the scaly beast. Without another word,
not even a thank you, William started off to the
palace. Perhaps he should keep it silent, pretend
not to
have any magic. That would be best. He glanced over
at the dragon; he could pretend none of this had
happened. As he looked down at the limp body he
held, he realized he couldn’t. He wouldn’t be able
to
pretend Mel hadn’t died.
“Remember, you must get a trainer!” the dragon
called. “You must be able to control your magic or
terrible things will happen.”
Why did this have to
happen to him? He felt like yelling at the top of
his lungs.
He tried to run, but couldn’t, for Mel was too
heavy. When she awoke he would tell her to eat
less. Then
he remembered that she wouldn’t wake, she was gone. Pain flooded through him like lava; she was dead.
Only as he approached the palace gates did he begin
to wonder if his father and mother would
blame him for their lovely daughter’s death. The
guards didn’t say a word to him as he walked by;
they
only stared at the limp body of the princess. As he
walked toward the palace doors, every step felt
like
needles were stabbing into him. His arms ached, his
head ached worse.
William didn’t recall how he’d gotten to his bed,
what had happened. For a moment he thought it
had all been a dream, but no, he could see it too
clearly, he could feel it. His body still ached. It
had all
been too real. Calling out his sister’s name, he
got no reply, only the singing of birds.
His sister, his sweet twin sister, had died. He
felt as though a part of him had died with her.
They’d been close, very close. Images flooded his
mind; suddenly he was weeping again.
He watched as Mel dove into the lake, the lake that
was now frozen. He could almost feel the
cool water upon his skin. Cupping water into his
hands, he threw it at Mel. Laughing, she returned
the
favor. William felt as though he were here again,
as though this was happening over again.
“William,” called a soft voice, lightly shaking his
shoulder. Mel had a soft voice, a soft charming
voice. He called out her name again. “No, Will, I’m
Ann.” Mel used to call him Will; she was the only
one
who called him Will.
William looked up into a kind maid’s face; her soft
brown eyes were bright with tears. She wasn’t
Mel; her hair wasn’t the right color, not her eyes
either. How dare she call him Will? That was Mel’s
name
for him, only Mel had the right to call him that!
Glowering, he yelled at her, he wasn’t sure what,
the
words were just coming out of his mouth. Ann’s eyes
welled up, a tear streaked down her cheek. William
didn’t know why she was crying; it was his sister
that had died. Holding her breath, trying not to
sob, the
maid dashed out of the room.
William stayed in bed all that day and the next,
eating very little. He refused to see anyone, even
his father and mother. The only ones allowed in
were maids who spoke little or not at all. He
stayed in his
room only half of the third day.
His mother, the queen, strode into his room,
despite the fact he’d ordered everyone to stay out.
She came to stand next to him as he stared at the
window. Hesitantly, she sat a hand upon his
shoulder.
He flinched away, thinking of the frozen hand of
the white lady.
“It...” she began in a shaky voice. “It’s not your
fault.” He tried to ignore her. “William, come out
of
here. Your sister wouldn’t want this. What are you
hiding from? Your life?” He still didn’t reply.
“Come
down and eat breakfast with us. Please?”
“Its my fault,” he said. “It’s my fault Mel died,
it’s my fault Jorlin died too.” The word ‘how?’
formed
on her lips, but she decided against asking it.
“Jorlin died?” she chose the words carefully, as
though saying the wrong words would set him off
sobbing again. “We’ll get you a new dog.” He didn’t
want a new dog, he wanted Jorlin. Just as he wanted
Mel back, not a new sister, even though he was
going to get a new sibling soon. He peered over at
his
mother’s swelled belly. Within it was a baby.
“Mother, what happened to the dragon tamers?” he
asked suddenly. Although he knew she didn’t
know the answer, he wanted to change the subject.
“Why?” she asked, almost sounding defensive. William
shrugged. “They all died.” He looked at
her in surprise. Something in her voice told him
she knew they’d not died, that she knew what had
really
happened.
“No they didn’t,” he said quietly. “What happened?”
“I told you, they died,” she snapped. “Why are you so
curious about them anyhow?”
He began to
wonder if he should tell her. There was no reason
not to.
“The dragon told me they didn’t die,” he told her.
“He said a woman took them away. Where’d she
take them, mother?”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded. “What
dragon? What woman? You’ve had a bad
dream.” He shook his head. “How did she die,
William?”
“Mel died,” he said. “She died out of fright…”
“Of what?” the queen insisted, “What frightened
her? The dragon?” William nodded. “You’re not a
dragon tamer.”
“Did I say I was?”
“No,” she answered. “You’re not one… are you?”
“Yes.”
“Yes what?” she asked, refusing to believe it. “You
look tired. Go get some rest.” William sighed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Where did they all go?” he asked. “The dragon told
me I was a dragon tamer, that I called him
there.”
“No, you’re lying,” she informed him. “There haven’t
been dragons here in - in years! They all went
back to their world. Don’t you tell anyone what you
told me. Understand? No one!”
“The dragon told me that terrible things would
happen if I wasn’t trained,” he informed his mother.
Looking closely at her, he figured out what was
bothering her so much. “He told me that she already
knows. I saw her.”
“No you didn’t,” she objected. “She doesn’t know.”
“I saw her, she touched me,” he went on. The queen
shook her head fiercely, not wanting to
believe this. “Where does she take them, mother?”
“No one knows exactly,” she answered finally. “But it
is a terrible place. A place no one can
escape, not even in death.” She paused for a
moment. “I was once told by a witch that I would
have a
dragon tamer for a child. I didn’t believe her.”
“She was right.”
“Yes, and now we must find you a trainer,” she said.
“Maybe you can grow more powerful then the
white lady and defeat her.” Neither spoke, both
knew it was impossible. “We’ll get you the best
there is.
Two of the best!”
“The dragon said he knew someone…”
“No!” his mother cried out. “Not a dragon! We will
not use a dragon for your trainer.”
William
looked at her in surprise.
“We shall get the best trainer in all the world!”
is the first thing his father shouted after being
told
everything. Instead of being horrified and refusing
what was true like the queen, the king welcomed the
fact with open arms. “Even if it’s a dragon,” he
added, shooting a glare at his wife. “You will
become a very
powerful king, my son,” the king said chuckling.
“If he lives long enough to become king,” the queen
retorted, unable to help herself.
Ignoring her, the king said, “We shall send out
people to begin searching immediately. And
William, you go call that dragon back here. You
said he knew a fellow?” William nodded.
“But, father, I don’t know how to call him.”
“Nonsense! You called him before, just do it
again!” came the reply. “We’ve all got work to do,
so
go on and get active!” Gloomily, William dragged
his feet to the door. He had no idea what to do; he
didn’t
know how he’d called that dragon before.
As he walked outside, he saw that the sun was
coming out and the snow had begun to melt. He
heard laughing and turned to see who it was. A girl
perhaps a year younger then him scooped up a
handful of melting snow, squished it together, and
pelted it at an older boy.
William tried to ignore them, to block them out. He
had to concentrate on calling the dragon to
him. Annoyed, he found he couldn’t just ignore them
for they were too loud. He loudly cleared his
throat. They didn’t hear, or if they did they chose to
pretend they hadn’t.
“Please, will you be quieter?” he asked. “I need to
focus.” They looked over at him in surprise; so
they hadn’t noticed him before. The older boy, who
looked to be perhaps fifteen, let out a laugh.
“And what are you focusing on then?” he asked in a
mocking voice.
William scowled at him;
perhaps they didn’t know he was prince.
“Just be quiet for a while,” he snapped.
“What are you doing?” the girl asked with a grin.
“Magic?” William nodded. “Really? What kind?”
He could tell she didn’t believe him, that she was
mocking him as well.
“I’m a dragon tamer and if you don’t leave me alone
I shall call down a dragon to bite off your
heads.” This made the two burst out laughing. “I’m
serious, if you’ll be quiet for a moment, you’ll
see I’m
not lying.”
“Fine,” the older boy said. He and the girl sat down
on a bench to wait.
“Actually, perhaps you shouldn’t watch,” he told
them. “You might be frightened to death.” They
gave him looks. “My sister was,” he told them in a
softer voice.
“You sister, eh?”
Just as he closed his eyes and began to try and
call the dragon, he heard the sound of flapping
wings and a grunt. The girl let out a short scream;
the boy was too traumatized to do anything but
gape.
“How’d you get here so quickly?” William wanted to
know. “I just called you.”
The dragon landed
directly in front of him.
“Eh?” he said, “You called? I didn’t hear
anything.”
“What a coincidence. I was just getting ready to
call you. Who did you say would be willing to
train me?”
“I have him here,” the dragon responded. “I was going
to drop him off here.”
“Is he good?”
“Perhaps not the best, but I’d say he’s good,” the
dragon answered after a moment of thought.
A short light haired man jumped from the dragon’s
back, looking disheveled and dazed. He looked to be
perhaps in his thirties.
“Ah, hello, Prince William,” he greeted nervously.
“Who are your friends?” the dragon questioned.
William turned to see who he was talking
about.
“Oh them?” he said motioned to the girl and boy. “I
don’t know them.” The two were staring at the
dragon; neither blinked nor moved, only breathed
very softly.
“Hmm,” he said, his eyes lingering on them for a
moment longer. “Well, what did you call me for?”
“Just to ask you to bring me the fellow you talked
about,” the prince answered. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” the dragon replied, opening his
mouth to show his dagger like teeth. William
decided he was smiling. “I should get going now.
Goodbye for now.”
“Goodbye,” the prince called as the dragon took off.
“Prince?” stuttered the older boy, first to recover
from his fright. He turned his head to look at
William in shock. “Prince William?”
“Yes?”
“You’re a dragon tamer?” gasped the girl. “I thought
they’d all died!”
“You poor, simpleminded folk,” William said,
grinning. The two watched him, not seeming to have
noticed he’d insulted them. “Yes, I’m a dragon
tamer, as I told you before when all you did was
mock
me.”
“Sorry,” apologized the boy.
“Who are you?” William wanted to know.
“Thomas,” the boy answered. “And she’s Kaili. Our
father’s a farmer; we came into town to pick up
a few supplies.”
“Prince William,” interrupted the short man “It’s a
pleasure to meet you, I’ve only dreamed about
meeting a dragon tamer.” His eyes shone brightly as
he ran up to shake his hand. “I knew they still
existed!” William didn’t reply. “Oh sorry I didn’t
introduce myself before, I’m Geoffrey and I’ve
studied
dragon taming magic for many years.” He heaved up a
large, heavy sack.
“Oh,” is all William thought to say. Geoffrey
started toward the palace doors. “Wait,” called
William.
“Yes?” Geoffrey asked. “I thought we should start
immediately.”
“Well, actually,” William began “My father wanted to
see exactly how good you are. You see, he
wants the best.” He watched as Geoffrey’s face fell.
“Ah, I see…” he began. “Well then, I’m certainly not
going to be the one.” He tried to smile but
succeeded in only making a strange face.
“You could be my trainer for now,” William offered
“Perhaps a few days…?” Geoffrey nodded,
seeming only slightly happier. “You’d be paid
handsomely.” At this Geoffrey only frowned and
hastily
shook his head.
“No, no!” he exclaimed. “I couldn’t possibly! I’ll
do it at no cost. You see, my kind doesn’t need
any gold.” William looked at him suspiciously. His
kind? “I’m an elf,” he said brushing away his
yellow
hair to show off his pointed ears.
“An elf!” William exclaimed in shock. “That’s not
possible!” He turned to Kaili and Thomas but
found they’d run off while he was distracted. “Can
you do elf magic then? See into the future?”
“Only some elves can do that,” the elf replied,
cheery again. “Very few. And I’m not one of them.”
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