Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a wicked dragon. Actually, there were several wicked dragons… No wait, all dragons are wicked. Or are they?…… But back to the story, where we focus on one, particular dragon. This dragon was perhaps the most wicked. He was huge, as big as a mountain, and his tough, leathery skin gleamed like silver snow. His massive wings were as dark as thunderclouds, and his long tangled mane was like polished gold. He was beautiful and wicked and perfect all at once, and he did not discriminate: he would kidnap princes as well as princesses. None of his young victims were ever seen again.

Now, around this time there lived a young boy. He was nothing special. His hair was a mussy brown color; he was small, and weak, and neither handsome nor ugly; neither smart nor idiotic. But there was no soul on earth that had a heart as passionate as this boy’s. His eyes were bright, and every emotion he had was like a burning fire; however, since his birth, his passion was seen as strange, it was so strong. So he learned to conceal it. He kept his eyes dull. He could be crying waterfalls or screaming or leaping for joy on the inside, but no one would ever know it. He seemed like a blank slate, and worked quickly and efficiently. So he was put to work in the royal palace that watched over his town. The king and queen appreciated his quiet obedience. The knights mocked him for his small stature and weak muscles, but he ignored their jests. He fell in love with with the princess, the daughter of the king and queen. She was fair skinned, and had raven black hair, and dark slanted eyes like her mother, who had been a foreigner. All day, the boy kept the princess in his heart as he worked. And if he should chance to see her, if she would chance to smile at him, his heart would soar, and he would beam back at her. Only for the princess would he let his eyes shine with emotion. A few years passed, and the boy grew into a man. This is not to say that he became tall and rugged from working in the castle. He was still small and weak, and neither handsome nor ugly. Meanwhile, the princess, just a year younger than the boy, blossomed into a most beautiful woman. Tales of her radiance spread through the land.

The servant boy and the princess had formed a strange sort of friendship. It had begun in the library, when she asked him to fetch a book she could not reach. He instead recommended another book, which turned out to be much more interesting than the first one. The boy had been taught to read while in the castle, and had pored over most of the library. He would recommend books to her, and she would gladly read them. She began asking him advice on other things, like which color suited her best, what she should wear for the next ball, and how to turn down unwanted suitors. They both discovered that he had a hidden talent when it came to matching colors together, and he was an excellent illustrator, as well.

Now the wicked dragon we mentioned earlier, he had heard of the fair beauty of the princess, and sought to take her from her kingdom. On a bright, warm day, which was rare for this northern kingdom, everyone was in such high spirits that they held a festival. The princess’s eighteenth birthday was tomorrow, and so the people celebrated. It was commonly believed that a dragon preferred to take only young maidens that had not yet reached adulthood. The royal family came out to greet the people in the courtyard. Their were no guards surrounding them, so they could properly interact with their subjects, shaking their hands, and holding them close like old friends. The boy held back, ever present, just behind the princess. Never too close, but not far, either. She would look back every now and again, see him, and smile.

Suddenly, with a great rushing wind, it seems as if night has fallen on the town. There is a deathly silence as all the people quake with fear. Then, with a great bellowing roar, the wicked dragon descends on the castle. The people flee, screaming in terror, and the dragon laughs.
"Yes, flee, pathetic insects. I have no business with those of common blood." the beast rumbles from the back of his throat.
"Get the princess to safety!!" The castle guard scrambled furiously to herd the royal family to shelter, away from the storm-cloud that rests on their home.
"Oh, no, I think not. You see, the royal family and I have business to discuss," he contended, swatting the soldiers like ants with his tail, crushing and killing them. "My, my, look at this one. I have not seen a princess like you in these isles for millennia, my dear." The princess quaked with her family, backed against a now-ruined wall. "Oh, yes, I must have you for myself, darling girl." the monster groaned, reaching out one deadly claw to grab her.
"NOOO!" one voice shrieked out above the cacophony of people still fleeing in fear. It was the boy! He had grabbed a sword from one of the slain soldiers, and threw himself in front of the princess, brandishing his weapon at the advancing talon.
“‘No?’ My boy… Oh young, foolish boy, you can barely lift that sword. What hope have you against me?” The dragon thundered.
"I don’t care for hope. I’ll die before I let you take her.” The boy snarled in return.
The dragon was taken aback, for a moment. "Really?………. Is that your choice, then?… SO BE IT!!" The beast roared in defiance, and snatched the boy off the ground with a sweep of his claws. Bringing the boy up to his face, the dragon prepared the eternal fire in his stomach to be released upon the boy. In his last act of bravery, the boy brought down the sword to stab the monster’s hand. The beast roared in pain, and glared at the servant boy. Tears pricking the corners of his eyes, the boy glared back just as ferociously.

This was enough to give the dragon pause. This boy had nothing to gain in defying him, and yet… Their was no fear in his eyes. There was a hint of remorse, yes, but the boys eyes were burning with fury.
"No… In your eyes, boy… There is something much more valuable than anything a princess could have." Now it was the lowly servant boy, who paused, his grip relaxing on the sword, and his eyes now reflecting confusion.

With a great leap, and a thunderous flapping of wings, the dragon soared into the sky. "I’ll just take you instead." he stated as a matter-of-fact, before a roaring and wicked laugh spilled out of his throat. The boy dropped the sword, and looked back in horror at the rapidly shrinking princess, her hand reaching out to him. The boy could only keep staring, as he was carried further and further away from his home… and his heart.

2: The Secret of the Mountain

High in the sky, a fearsome dragon steadily makes it’s way toward home. Clutched in one of it’s claws, a small young boy desperately tries to shelter himself from the buffeting winds.

A break in the fog reveals a sprawling mountain, growing closer. The dragon slowly circles it in a descending spiral, until it reaches a long fissure in the mountainside, and slithers inside.

Once inside, the boy is surrounded by such a deep darkness that he feels he must be dead, until he feels the dragon deposit him gently on a rough floor. The sound of it’s thundering footsteps venture further out into the dark, leaving the boy behind. He almost believes the dragon has left him to die. Then, a sort of clanking sound is heard, like the sound of a large chain rattling, and with a crackle and a sigh of dragon breath, the large cavern is filled with light. The source: a giant chandelier hanging in the middle of the cave, which the dragon had just lit with his fire. As he settles back onto his haunches, he turns his massive head towards his captive boy. The boy scrambles onto his feet and backs away, only to trip and fall back on his rear. Looking to see what tripped him, the boy spies his ankle caught on a human skeleton.

“Ahhh!!” He screams, scrambling on the floor once again. The dragon chuckles at the boy’s panic.

“Is that another one of your victims? Is that what you’re going to do with me?!” The boy asked accusingly, glaring at the beast.

“What? Of course not,” He replied. “That used to be a knight. He decided to try to rescue a princess I had taken. He failed.”

“So… so what do you need me for?” the boy stammered. “I-I mean, I’m not a princess…”

The dragon chuckled again. “My boy, I don’t just take princesses. I take princes, too.”

“But… I’m not a prince either,” The boy was very confused now.

“No, you’re not. But you are very special. You have a strong heart, the strongest heart I’ve seen in a long time.” The dragon explained, standing up and stalking back towards the boy. “I do take special people, too.”

Seeing the dragon approaching him, the boy began to tentatively crawl backwards. “Wh………. Why?”

“You’ll see. But more importantly, boy… What is your name?” The dragon had extended his neck, and his head was now no more than ten feet from the boy, and he gazed at him inquisitively.

“...........Roc.” The boy admitted.

“Roc? Like the giant bird? Well, I have to say, you certainly don’t look it.” The dragon teased.

“I know… They, uh, my father named me that in hopes that I would grow up to be big and strong. I was a very small infant,” he said quietly. “... It didn’t work.”

“... No, it definitely did not. However, your small stature should not be a source of shame, Roc.” The dragon conceded.

Roc looked up at the dragon. “...You really think so?.......... Wait, what am I saying!? I don’t even know you, I mean-- You’re a DRAGON-- You just kidnapped me!!” He seethed.

The dragon froze in shock, staring at the small human wide-eyed. No-one had ever just started yelling at him right off the bat. It usually took a few days. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

The ground rumbled and shook, and Roc fell to the ground. Upon sitting up, he saw that the dragon had fallen on it’s side and was laughing. It was this laughter that had made Roc lose his balance. “WELL WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT!?”

“Ahh… aha! Oh, I’m sorry, Roc, but usually the people I take are too terrified to yell at me on the first day, but you… you just leapt to it!” The dragon lifted it’s great head from the ground to speak. “Ohh… I was right, you are special.”

“Wait, wait… what do you mean ‘the first day’?” Roc questioned.

“Oh, you’re right, you don’t know me-” The dragon did not hear him. “I should introduce myself,” The dragon then sat up and faced Roc, towering over him. However, before he said anything more, the dragon’s entire body suddenly became transparent and faded into a cloud of mist, which quickly flew out of sight. Roc blinked in surprise. He twisted his head around and looked frantically in every direction, but could not see where the dragon had vanished to.

“My name…” suddenly, the dragon’s voice was emanating from behind him, very close, and Roc whirled around quickly-- “... is Talorgan.”

Roc was baffled. He was muddled. He was bewildered, confounded, and stumped. Not five feet from him, the creature that had just spoken to him with the dragon’s voice… was a man, wearing a loose white blouse, and slim gray trousers. An ordinary-looking man, with shoulder-length golden hair, and narrow eyes with amber irises. Well perhaps he looked more regal than your average, run-of-the-mill man that could be seen in Roc’s village. Talorgan’s face was long and narrow, with high cheekbones, but they were more rounded than sharp.

Looking closer at the dragon-turned-man, Roc saw that he had no tail, no horns, and no scales or wings. He appeared completely human... Which made him vulnerable. Roc quickly scanned the ground, and upon seeing the knight’s skeleton still gripping it’s sword, he snatched it up, and lunged at Talorgan.

“Aaaagh!” He cried as he rushed at the dragon. In a flash, though, Talorgan brought his forearm up to block the strike.

“My, my. You certainly have a penchant for finding sharp weapons that are too heavy for you,” The dragon chuckled. It was true, Roc’s arms were trembling from the effort of holding the sword. “You’ll have to forgive me, but just because I look human at the moment, doesn’t mean I’m completely defenseless.” His forearm looked as if it had turned to jagged stone, and it hadn’t even chipped from the blow.

“How... did you do that?” Roc asked as he dropped the sword in defeat.

“All dragons have magic,” Talorgan explained. He gently placed his hand - once again made of flesh-and-blood - on Roc’s shoulder and guided him toward a carved archway in the wall that Roc had not noticed until then. “Now, come with me, and I’ll explain everything, and introduce you to the family.”

“F-family?!” He stammered, his mind racing with horrible glimpses of being surrounded by giant dragons and accidentally being crushed beneath their feet. Meanwhile, the pair passed beneath the arch, and into a rough-hewn tunnel. It was wide enough for four men to walk abreast, but certainly too small for a dragon of Talorgan’s size to fit through, if he hadn’t changed his shape beforehand. As they came ever closer to the light at the end of the tunnel, an echoing hubub gradually increased in volume. Upon exiting the tunnel, they entered a large and brightly lit chamber, and after allowing his eyes to adjust, Roc saw…

A city! A huge, sprawling city, carved out of the mountains innards. Truthfully, The city was carved into the sides of the massive cavern on multiple levels. The center of this vast subterranean city was open and unused, with only a scarce few bridges that crossed the gaping cavity. Each level had a railing for safety at the edge of the basin, and Roc ran to the nearest one to look over the edge. Down at the bottom, far far below, were hundreds of people milling about. Some had carts full of vegetables, while others dragged children after them. Looking up, he saw that this hidden city was lit by another large chandelier, similar to the one that Talorgan had lit in the first chamber. Additionally, there were a number of torches lining every wall, and there was one on every pillar. Along the sides of the level that Roc found himself on, there were stalls and booths selling all kinds of wares, and more tunnels branching off to destinations unknown. The clamor he had heard from the tunnel was the tumult of people selling and bargaining. There were people who appeared to be of all different classes and ethnicities, and some who looked like they completely belonged.

“What is this place…?” Roc looked pleadingly towards his captor for some sort of explanation.

“No need to sound so timid, boy. I’ve been rescuing these people for centuries.” Talorgan gave Roc a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Long ago, a few of them decided to stay and build a city. More and more joined them. They had children of their own, and this place has flourished, and I’ve done my best to protect them and provide for them.” Now, he, too, leaned over the railing and looked over the city. “This… is my family.”

Roc was more than a little shaken and unnerved by this revelation. “I… I think I need to sit down…” he said, backing away slowly. He bumped into something behind him and nearly fell, but felt two strong hands steady him.

“Woah, there, boy, watch where you’re goin’.” A deep, friendly voice warned him.

Turning around, Roc faced the largest man he had ever seen. His shoulders were broad and strong, and his jaw was wide and chiseled. His whole body looked as if it had been carved from the mountain as well. Roc quailed at the sight of him.

“Hey, wait a minute, now… I haven’t seen your face before. You new here, kid?” The large man stroked his stubbled chin in thought.

“Yes, I just brought him in. How have you been, Hamon?” Talorgan asked the giant.

“Talor!!” He boomed. “Where have you been hiding, you great beast?” The hulking man, Hamon, spread his arms wide and embraced Talorgan enthusiastically. Hamon was actually just a little bit taller than Talorgan, and his chiseled arms almost completely engulfed the dragon.

“Oh, here and there.” Talorgan returned the hug, and then turned towards Roc. “Hamon, this is Roc. I just brought him in from the Aldany Kingdom. Roc, this is Hamon. He was born here.”

“Uh-huh, yeah…” Roc still looked shaken. “Yeah, about that: where is here?”

Talorgan guided Roc back to the rail that overlooked the cavity. “You, see, Roc, dragons are actually quite complex. We don’t kidnap princesses to eat them. We do it to protect them.” By now, a few more people had noticed Talorgan’s presence, and waved to him and called out his name. Talorgan took Roc by the arm and began slowly walking down the passage. “I’m going to tell you a story, Roc. You see, the first dragon actually used to be a princess. She was very beautiful, but resented her countless suitors, and turned them all away. She hated that in the eyes of men, she was only viewed as a prize to be won. So she ran away.” The pair descended down a short flight of stairs to the next level of the city. A few people had begun to follow at a respectful distance, listening in on the story. “This princess lived in the wild, and taught herself how to defend herself should any prince or knight think they could win her back and return her to her kingdom. Because they did come. But each time, she physically fought them off, with tooth and nail. Still, she wished she was stronger, because the sometimes there would be more than one knight. She wished so strongly, and fought so hard, that she was granted with the gift of magic, and became more than a princess. The combination of her determination and her strength, and the magic, turned her into a dragon. She taught other princesses, who taught still others in turn.”

Roc listened to this story the whole time in silence, absorbing every word. But now, he interrupted. “Wait… are you trying to tell me that you are a princess?”

Talorgan stopped dead and surprise filled his face. “Hahaha!! No one has ever asked me that, before! No, I’m not a princess. My mother was a princess, and she did fall in love with a human. He was a king, long ago. They could never get married, because she was already a dragon at the time. So she raised me on her own, and when I turned fifteen, she began training me to become a dragon.” He paused. “Incidentally, I am actually named after my father.”

“When you were fifteen… How long ago was that? How old are you now?” Roc asked.

“Hmm… I’ve had difficulty keeping track for a while, but… I believe… that is, I’m fairly certain-” Talorgan said thoughtfully. “-that I am around five-hundred and twenty-three years old. Give or take a few decades, perhaps.”

“Five…” Roc blanched. “Five-hundred…” He couldn’t even imagine how much time that was.

“Oh, dear…” Seeing the blank, stupefied expression on Roc’s face worried Talorgan.

“I think ya broke him, Talor. Shoulda saved that tid-bit for later,” Hamon guffawed.

By now, Talorgan and Roc had almost reached the very bottom of the terraced cavern. Talorgan held Roc by the elbow and urged him to keep moving. A few people were watching their progress from the upper levels, waving from the railings. There were also quite a few children, running ahead of Talorgan and his entourage, giggling and playing.

“Well, allow me to continue my story. So the princesses I rescued were often the victims of unwanted pre-arranged engagements, and when they allowed me to explain my purpose, they usually would gladly undergo my ‘Dragon Training,’” Talorgan continued. “Sometimes, of course, they said they would rather not be a dragon, and just decided to stay with me without being trained. They figured that the safest place they could possibly be would be in the lair of a dragon who was sworn not to harm them. Eventually, there were enough people gathered that they decided to carve out their own city. I helped them, of course. There were also princes, usually younger princes who had no hope of a future other than being bargained off to acquire trade agreements for their parents or older siblings. So there wasn’t just an army of women carving out this city.” He paused to let the information sink in.  “This was centuries ago, and more and more people joined them, instead of becoming dragons. They also would get married --”

“How?” Roc interrupted, recovering from his earlier shock.

“I’m sorry?”

“Who performed the ceremony, I mean?”

“Oh. I did. I am the highest authority here, so I did my best and performed it myself.” Talorgan explained. “They’ve written their own sort of marriage ceremony by now, which is completely unique to our civilization.”

“...Wow… Wait, so how many people live here, then?” He inquired.

“Just a little over two thousand. We’re a small city, still, but we’re growing.” Talgoran said with a smirk.

Roc just stared at the tall man who was guiding him through this terraced basin. It was a lot of information for him to suddenly process. Earlier that very day, he had been so thrilled to celebrate the princess’s eighteenth birthday. His thoughts turned to her now. Everyone but him was surprised that she hadn’t married yet, but the people had also been relieved that they got to keep their treasure for just a while longer. Then, everyone’s happiness was shattered when a great beast suddenly descended, intent to take their treasure away. He had known he would die, but Roc grabbed a sword and faced it anyway, willing to give up everything for the woman he loved. Now, he was here, having a calm, mostly one-sided, conversation with the beast that had attacked his town, and the beast now looked like a man! An extremely attractive man, at that.

“Oh, now Tallie, you have to forgive me for butting in,” A stout woman who was just a little taller than Roc chimed in, “but I really have to meet this PRECIOUS little morsel you’ve brought home.” The woman latched onto Roc’s other arm, startling him out of his reverie. “Hello, dearie. Oh, my, you really are precious up close! Look at you! Oh, you must have been popular back home!”

Roc could feel his face flush bright red. “Oh, no, I really wasn’t. No one really liked me at all…” He mumbled.

“Just look at you, turning so bright! You could light these dark halls all by yourself with that blush. But what do you mean no-one liked you? That is a crime.” She addressed him sternly. “Listen to me prattle on, though, and we haven’t even been properly introduced! My name is Joan, what’s your’s, dearie?”

“Uh, my name’s Roc…” Joan’s energetic personality was a bit strong for him, in light of his situation. “Uh…”

“Ah, yes, I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you earlier, Joan.” Talorgan said. “Joan does her best to know everyone’s names, but…”

“What do you mean ‘does her best?’” Joan is taken aback.

“Joan, there are over two thousand people who live here, you can’t possibly remember everyone’s names.” Talorgan tries to placate her.

“Well, you can remember everyone’s names, what’s stopping me?” She demands.

“Joan, I’m a dragon, I can remember what I had for breakfast fifty years ago. What did you have for breakfast last week?” He asks smugly.

“Well I had… I… Ooh, that doesn’t mean I can’t try!” She glares at the dragon.

“That’s true, you can certainly try, and I’m not going to try to stop you by any means.”

This whole while, Roc is walking between them, and looks back and forth between them as they bicker. He’s not really sure how to react to his whole situation now. “So, um, Joan,” He pipes up, trying to gain some sort of foothold in this strange new world he finds himself in, one where everyday people can hold casual conversations with dragons. “W-Were you born here, too?” he asks tentatively.

She smiles at his inquisitiveness. “Oh, no, dear, I was brought in with a slave caravan that Tallie here rescued. I was one of the slaves, of course.”

Roc paled at this new revelation, and he feels his stomach drop. “O-oh…”

 

They continue walking downwards, and Talorgan finishes explaining what it is he does. He tells Roc how occasionally, the people he take were actually quite happy with their situation, and ask to return to their homes, to which he happily complies. He also reveals that no one is kept here by force. If anyone at any one time ever wishes to leave, they are free to go. He just wishes they would say goodbye to him first, at the very least.

Finally, Talorgan, Roc, and their entourage that had been following them this whole time, finally reach the bottom. They walk to the center of the basin. Talorgan raises his arms dramatically, gesturing to the many levels of the city rising around them.

“Roc, I’ve told you everything about this city and I, and our shared history. I’ve told you what I really do with the princes and princesses I take. Some of them gladly begin down the path to dragon-hood, and some choose to rather live as normal humans in the city.” Lowering his arms, he turns back towards Roc. “Now I have only one question for you:” He holds out his hand. “Would you like to become a dragon, and accept all the power and responsibility that comes with it?”

 

………………………

 

[TO BE CONTINUED]