To Save a Dragon Part 1

To Save a Dragon is an original short story by me, Rebecca Kletzing. I hope you enjoy reading it!          

            My story begins on a bright and beautiful day during that time of year that can be called neither summer nor fall. The leaves had just begun to put on their autumn finery. The nights were cool, but the days were hot. It was the day that my father had promised me the privilege of accompanying him to town. This was a rare treat, for my mother could not often spare me from my chores for an entire day.

            I awoke that morning and dressed quickly in a shirt and pants, then raced downstairs for breakfast. There were chores that had to be done before we could leave, and I wanted to get them done as quickly as possible. I gave a quick wave to my father as he headed to the fields, then went into the barn to begin my chores. They were finished in what must have been record time. I raced into the house to change and wash.

             Stopping in front of the mirror in my parents' room, I rebraided my dark brown hair which fell below my shoulders. If I did not constantly keep it braided, it would tangle badly. When I was young, I did not want to take care of it, so it was kept very short; but now that I was sixteen, I enjoyed caring for longer hair.

            When I was finished I hurried out of the house, past the barn, and to the large round stable, calling before me as I went.

            "Agren!"

            I looked into the stable to find that Agren was not there. I was not surprised, for she spent a good deal of time in the mountains that bordered our farm to the east. I made my way over to the path that led up the mountainside to a clearing where we always met when she was off exploring, and started up it. It was a somewhat long climb, but not a steep one.

            When I reached the clearing, I called her again. No matter where she was she always heard me.

            I had only to wait a moment for her to come. A sound like gentle raindrops on a lake came to my ears, a sound I knew to be that of her wings, and I saw those silvery wings pass overhead. Another moment, and Agren stood on the ground before me.

            She was a dragon. Not a colossal giant like the dragons of old and of legend, but a meredragon, standing about three feet higher than a horse. For the most part she was silvery grey, but her underside and eyes were a deep rich purple. In greeting she breathed fire, a pale blue flame. I bowed my head to return the greeting, then spoke.

            "Today we are going into town with my father."

            "This is wondrous news, Gwynnethe! It has been long since we were in Drelle. I will enjoy this trip greatly," she exclaimed happily.

            I smiled at the sound of her voice. Dragons do not talk with a voice as humans do. A dragon's voice is a sound from nature and  Agren's voice was water. As she spoke, her words flowed from her like a rippling stream, lapping gently upon my ears.

            "I came up to find you because we will be leaving soon."

            "Very good," she said. "I will fly down and meet you at the stable."

            When I arrived back at the farm, she was already there. I saddled her quickly, then mounted and rode over to the barn where my father's horse waited. Father appeared on the porch a second later, a pack of food in his hand and my mother right behind him. When Mother caught sight of me, a frown formed on her pretty face.

            "I will not have you going to town in pants, Gwynnethe. Go inside and change your clothes," she commanded rather sternly.

            "But Mother, you know I can't ride Agren in a skirt," I reminded her.

            Mother looked me up and down, then sighed and pushed her thin blond bangs back off her forehead.

            "It will have to do," she sighed, then smiled. "Have a good time."

            I always loved being with my father. Perhaps it was because I was so much like him, not just in looks, for I had his thick, dark brown hair and brown eyes, but also in likes and dislikes and loving to laugh. Agren and I did not fly, but rode next to my father so that we could talk. The miles went by and before I realized it, we were riding into the outskirts of Drelle.

            Anyone we rode past looked at us strangely. They would look at Agren, then give me an odd glance. Once or twice I even thought I saw fear in their eyes. It began to make me nervous. In the center of town was a large tree, and nailed to it was a piece of parchment. Father and I dismounted so we could read it. In bold lettering it declared:

TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE KINGDOM OF ENDMERE:

TAKE HEED!

BY THE SUGGESTION OF QUEEN DARIS

AND THROUGH THE ROYAL POWER OF KING LUCHEN

A LAW HAS BEEN PASSED WHICH

FORBIDS

ANY DRAGONS IN THIS KINGDOM.

THOSE WHICH ARE FOUND WILL BE PUT TO DEATH.

=EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY=

            I stood still, shocked, feeling as though I had been punched in the stomach. A low rumble came from behind me, like an approaching thunderstorm. It took me a moment to realize that it was Agren. I turned and stared at what I saw. Agren stood there, every muscle tense, eyes glued to the notice. Smoke drifted from her nostrils and her purple eyes glittered dangerously. I had rarely seen Agren when she was angered. Father laid a hand on my shoulder.

            "I'm going to get the things we need and then we'll head home," he said quietly. "You and Agren stay here."

            I nodded silently and turned back to Agren. She was still staring at the notice. I went over to her and climbed onto her back. After a while she spoke.

            "So much death, Gwynn," she sighed, "so much death will result from this. You read the notice. All dragons in this kingdom must die. Why? For what purpose?"

            "I don't know, Agren. But I will find out if I can."

            My father came over just then. "If you're ready, we can go. I bought everything we need. As soon as we're out of town, we'll stop and eat our dinner, then continue home."

            And that was what we did. No one had much appetite, so it was a rather quick meal. Before long we were on the road home, each lost in our own thoughts. Mother looked surprised to see us home so soon. After taking in our long faces, she turned to my father.

            "What happened, Rodney? You're home early and you look like messengers of bad news."

            "We are at that, Anna," he said grimly. "I'll tell you over supper. I think Gwynn and I are going to try to get some more work done until then."

---

           Father told Mother about the notice while we ate. She looked as shocked as I felt. The table fell into silence when Father finished speaking. At last, when we had all eaten as much as we could, I could stand the silence no longer.

            "Father," I ventured, "do you know why this law has been put in place?"

            "Actually, I do, Gwynn," he said. He lit his pipe before turning toward me and continuing. "I talked to the storekeeper while I was getting what we needed. He said that the notice was brought to town and put up by two soldiers. They stopped at the store because they were running low on food. One of them was well-informed and talkative. He said that there was an incident at the palace a short time back. The queen was waiting for her most trusted advisor, a man by the name of Wallace, to come to her study. He was late, which was unusual. She decided to go in search of him and find out what was causing the delay. As she went, she could find no one around to ask about Wallace. She was nearly at the door which led out into the garden when she heard an awful noise coming from outside. Running to the door, she saw a terrible sight. Her own dragon stood beside Wallace, whom the dragon had killed. The queen started screaming, and the soldier claimed he was one of the first to arrive at the scene."

            "But why did the dragon kill Wallace?" I questioned Father.

            "I don't know. The soldier said that the queen refuses to speak to the dragon. Right now it is locked up in a cage in the middle of Endkelm, the capital city. It is to stay there until its execution. It will be the first dragon to die; then soldiers will go through the land and kill all the others."

            "And when is the execution?" I asked, a plan beginning to form in my mind.

            "In one week," he said.

            "I have to go to Endkelm," I announced.

...to be continued