Destiny Lost

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. No once upon a time, the Valley was a city. The city was full of love, it was simple and peaceful. A proud newly formed city just 100 years ago. But all of that changed one fateful day.

The distant sound of the blacksmith hammering away on his anvil rings through the street, the smell of fresh bread fills the air, and merchants haggle with customers as the sun rises in the sky. The city of Valmire is alive and busy, with people hurrying along, pausing to make their purchases, or bustling on their way to work, weaving and dodging around others as they go. Today is like any other, everyone with their place and purpose. The castle looms high over the city streets, the knights in the courtyard training fervently in too-bright armor, their movements punctuated with the ringing of metal. A stable hand struggles with freshly butchered horsemeat as he feeds it to the valiant griffons. One such proud beast ruffles its pure white feathers and caws, impatient for seconds. Its curved claws rip the horse meat straight from the bone with ease. The wide-open pen resembles a nest more than any normal stable, filled with fresh golden straw and no ceiling. The knights know better than to cage a griffon. Well, try to cage a griffon, for a true proud griffon would rather fight to the death than give up their freedom.

At the edge of the city lies a humble farmhouse with a large field behind it. A young, blonde-haired girl plays with a leather ball in the yard, her small legs pumping as she chases and kicks the ball on accident before chasing it again. Laughter follows her as her mother hangs laundry and keeps a watchful eye on her daughter. Nearby, her father splits wood with a sturdy ax, working hard to ensure there’s enough for the coming winter.

After cutting all day, he straightens wiping the sweat from his brow as the bright sun beats down. He looks over his field of produce almost fully grown and he nods with a feeling of pride. He thinks he will need to bring the harvest into town soon before the crops go bad. He scratches at his shortened beard, his gaze drawn to his wife. Her strawberry blonde hair tied up tight in a headband and her blue eyes caught her husband’s gaze. A smile lights her face as he walks over and wraps an arm around her, watching their daughter. Her eyes so like her mother’s, the little girl laughs chasing a small ball.

“She has your laugh,” his gravelly voice says watching his daughter as he pulls his wife closer.

“Good, better that than if she had your chortle, David” She smirks playfully at her husband as he admires the way her dimples grow. She bumps his side with her hip to get him to let go, turning to continue with the laundry. David laughs and goes to wash up his hands in the nearby basin, drying them before walking back to his wife but is interrupted by the small ball being kicked to his legs. David looks down at the bright blue eyes staring up at him. The joyous smile and giggle.

“Daddy play.”

David can’t help but smile hearing her little voice and seeing her bright eyes looking up at him. He leans down one knee, the gravel crunching beneath him, that feeling of pride growing stronger than before as he looks into his daughters’ eyes.

“Well, Avie, I would, but it wouldn’t be fair to make mommy do all the work, would it? You keep playing and I will be right back, okay?”

Avie pouts before he grabs her gently, picking her up, kissing her forehead, and then spinning her around. Avie squeals in delight as the air is filled with their laughs. David sets her down and she spins a little before she starts to fall and David catches her. She giggles.

“I love you Daddy” and filled with love only a child can give, he kisses her on the top of her head.

“And we love you, Avie. Now go play. I have to help mommy.” He helps her to her feet and gives her the ball again. She runs and drops the ball and kicks it again.

David stands, brushing off his pants before walking back to his wife, the bright sun making her tanned skin glow.

“You know, there was that chortle again.” She laughs, David’s favorite noise.

“Val, she gets your laugh, and your eyes; she is perfect” David winks grabbing some laundry to hang.

“And your temper,” Valerie responds. “She was jumping on her bed this morning while you were out in the field. Took a tumble and I thought she was going to try to destroy her bed with her fit.” Valerie’s tone held a slight scold and David lifted his hands in surrender.

“Just be happy Aveline didn’t destroy her bed. If that was me at that age, I would have ripped it apart in a temper tantrum.” He winks at Valerie before she gives up the act and puts a hand on the back of his neck pulling him closer, whispering. “If she destroys a bed, you are sleeping in it.”

David looks into her sapphire eyes before he steals a kiss breaking her façade. He breathes in the smell of her wrapping an arm around her in the kiss before she breaks away. “No distracting me David, hang up the laundry.” Her smile betrays her words as she steps away and David watches her go with a smirk.

The near-perfect day is suddenly cut by a howl of wind crashing into the peaceful home. With the sound, the sky darkens and the wind whips Valerie’s headband away. The laundry yanks at the lines as she grabs for it. Aveline stops playing, the ball rolls away and she looks up to the sky. David’s brow furrows as he, too, looks around.

“Where did this come from?” His voice was a mouse’s squeak compared to the howling wind. Keeping his eyes on the sky, he helps Valerie collect the laundry, calling out to Aveline. “Avie, come on, get inside before the storm hits.” A piercing whistle on the wind slowly grows louder. David picks up his little girl and walks inside.

The pots clang loudly on the wall and David keeps looking back out the door to make sure nothing is there. He passes their daughter to Valerie and rushes to the open window. The whistle is now impossible to miss. A sudden roar shakes the home and in response, a flash of lightning followed by booming thunder fills the sky.

David falls back, raising a hand to the two behind him. The roar shakes his insides and grabs the ax before leaning against the wall, not taking his eyes from the sky.

“What in the god’s name was that?”

A second flash of lightning and another explosion shakes the home. This time not from the sky above but nearby in the city. David looks back at his family, his wife holding their daughter with a small comforting smile. She keeps her daughter’s attention on her.

“It is just a bad storm, sweetie, no need to be scared. We’re here.” She gives David a pointed look.

David closes his mouth realizing his words only scare Avie more. He puts on a brave face, his heart beating fast, his worry apparent, but Valerie is always one step ahead of him. She puts on the act for their daughter, and he quickly starts doing the same. He takes a deep breath and steels his nerves. His hands are shaking clutching the ax, with the exhale he loosens his grip, opens his eyes, and looks at Aveline.

” Yes, Avie, don’t worry, the storm will pass before you know it,” David says and grabs a blanket from the nearby bed swaddling her up in it. Then he places a gentle hand and a small kiss on top of her head. David looks up to his wife in time to see a small flash of her true feelings in her eyes…fear. Giving her a reassuring smile and touching her arm he tries to keep his family calm and hidden from the windows.

Behind the house, the beating of wings reaches them and David rushes to the back window to see what was happening. His vision is filled with white feathers and armored soldiers. “The Griffon Knights. They react fast. Good, there’s no need to worry, they have every-” David’s thoughts are cut off as another roar shakes the home. Dishes crash to the ground behind him and he hears Aveline shriek. He starts to turn and a blazing flash of light blinds him. The crackling sound of electricity floods his ears. An explosion drowns the sound of distant screams.

David reels backward rubbing the dots from his eyes. Past the ringing in his ears, he hears Aveline start to cry…or was she screaming….no, that wasn’t it. What is that sound? The spots clear and he scrambles to his family. Valerie still comforting their little girl holding her away from the broken dishes. David checks them over for cuts or injuries letting out a breath in relief not seeing any.

“Are you okay?” he calls out over the din. Valerie nods, pale and wide-eyed, holding Aveline tight. Still crying, little Avie hides her face in her mother’s cotton shirt.

Out the window, he remembers the knights and turns to see what was happening. David blinks, feeling the moisture in his eyes he looks up. The backs of griffons barreling from the city. The griffon knights fleeing. Stunned, David shakes his head in disbelief as the gray sky is overtaken.

An obsidian scaled creature fills the expansive skyline, its wings beating hard, whipping the wind up like a hurricane as it flies with blinding speed toward the towering castle in the distance. David’s legs buckle in abject horror forcing him to catch himself on the windowsill as he remains, transfixed, watching the great beast. It dives down toward the buildings and a plume of red flame like lava covers sections of the city, the stone buildings catching fire like they were made of nothing but dry kindling.

David fights his shaking legs and turns, grabbing his trembling pale wife. She holds her smile even though it is strained. Looking at her and Avie, there is a slight reprieve as seeing them he is filled with strength. His heart races and a rumble grows in his chest. Panic and adrenaline push him. He looks at their small farmhouse, trying to quiet the rumble and steady his breathing to ready himself to act.

“We need to go. NOW!” he urges, failing at keeping a calm voice. He pushes them out of the house into the hell outside. “Through the fields and out of the city. We need to find shelter far from here.”

Valerie holds their daughter tight and nods her agreement. Her words are only used to distract her daughter from the nightmare. Valerie grabs David’s hand before he kisses them both on top of their heads.

David pulls back, waving his arms in practiced motions, his fingers extending and snapping back into different signs. Hoping he can remember what he was taught after all the years since he had called on this spell.

“Let the dark cling to our bodies, our feet be light, our breaths muffled. Grant us Shadow.” With every word of the incantation, magic is pulled to him. When he speaks the command word ‘Shadow’, a darkened veil covers their bodies. David grabs the ax and positions himself right behind his family, their footsteps barely make a sound as they rush into the field. Aveline’s small cries muffled by the spell and Valerie rubs her back keeping an eye on the sky.

A screeching cry clings to the air as David follows the sound. A smear of red and polished steel, the body of a soldier who fell from the sky. Nearby lies a griffon with bones sticking from one of its legs and wings protruding out of its body. Burnt and blackened, its screams pierce his mind and his stomach reels. Aveline cries out, and David moves beside his family shielding Aveline from the sight. Valerie presses Aveline’s face to her chest to hide the horrors all around her. He notices her little fingers are white from holding onto her mother’s white work shirt. His heart aches and the grumbling in his chest grows as he struggles to push it back down.

In the distance, voices reach them past their muffled footsteps and David skids to a stop. He ducks low in the rows of maize. Raising an arm in front of Valerie, who was already following suit and closing his eyes, stretching his ears for what he expected as nearby cries for help. Instead of the panicked cries of the citizens of Valmire, trained voices barking orders meet his ears and his heart stops.

“This isn’t some random attack… this is an invasion,” he realizes. Looking at his family, his legs start to shake and the rumbling in his chest grows louder he grits his teeth. He sees Valerie smile at Aveline to reassure her and he swallows hard. She is still one step ahead of him and Valerie turns her smile to him, trying the same. But David can see how her eyes betray that lovely smile. He privately begs the rumbling to go away and returns the fake smile. Putting an encouraging hand on Valerie’s back, he ushers them with a finger in front of his lips. The incantation still clinging to their outline, he moves slower to muffle all sounds the spell cannot stop.

Finally, they break through the fields near the forest that surrounds the eastern outskirts of Valmire. Exposed for the moment, David ushers them toward the safety of the trees. A voice cuts out against the sounds of flames and distant screams of the city. He pales, and he feels his heart sinking as he turns toward the thud of boots on the ground.

“We found some over here!” In darkened armor, a group of soldiers charges toward them while behind more with arrows draw aim at his family.

“RUN! RUN NOW!” He yells out, the spell distorting the cry. David pushes his family forward and, in an instant, Valerie bursts forward, clutching Aveline close.

Arrows fly and David runs just behind his family shielding them from harm as they barrel through the forest. David scans all around for more enemies but his eyes are drawn back to Valerie making sure she is okay. He moves his eyes to see Aveline, but Valerie is shielding her just as he is shielding them. The spell reaches its limits, and the rush of sound is nearly disorienting for a heartbeat.

They crash through the brush, crunching leaves, and twigs, the sounds announcing their location to the world. Twigs cut and bite at their flesh as they duck and turn, David, sticking close to his family, trusting Valerie to lead them away. The arrows slow and then stop, but the family does not. They crash through the forest gasping for air and burst through a small, shaded clearing, covered by a recently felled tree. The family takes shelter behind it to catch their breath and David breaks in front, putting his free hand on his daughter’s back as he pulls them close in a hug.

“Gods. Are you okay?” He whispers, feeling Aveline shake, Valerie’s eyes close as she tries to catch her breath, nodding to David.

“We are fine….Oh, gods, David, what is happening?” Valerie chokes out in a whisper she is holding Aveline tight trying to muffle her cry.

“I don’t know…but we need to get out of here.” Aveline’s cries grow louder before she is muffled again and David’s hearta ches but the grumbling in his chest grows hearing his daughter’s cry.

“Don’t worry, Avie, we are here and we love you,” he whispers in her ear as calm as he can be. He kisses the back of her head feeling her calm ever so slightly, and the rumbling quiets just barely as he breathes. He can’t take his eyes off of Aveline, his mind scrambling to figure out where to go…where they ran, who was attacking, but mostly how to get his family out of this nightmare.

“The mountains,” he gasps out as quietly as possible through pained breaths, his lungs screaming to pull in air. “We can beg the dwarves for shelter, we would be safe-“ Valerie cuts him off suddenly turning away staring ahead, shielding Aveline. Out of the brush in front of them taking a careful step, a scaled humanoid in darkened armor brings up his spear staring at them both. The soldier pulls the spear back ready to strike. The growling in David’s chest bursts through as he crashes into the soldier. Swinging his unwieldy ax, he catches the spear before it can strike, his arms shaking with the force of the soldier. They lock eyes and David pushes the rumble back down the little it quieted from calming his daughter rises threefold.

“Please…I beg of you,” David chokes out through gritted teeth. “We are farmers…we have a daughter and pose no threat…please.” David’s eyes flick to the side where his family is. Praying silently to any god that would hear he continues the struggle against the spear. The pushback eases and the scaled soldier looks at Aveline, his conviction wavers from David’s plea. The soldier’s tail flicks and his clawed hands relax on his spear hesitating.

“I am sorry.” The voice is heavy with an accent breaking. “We have orders, so if you hurry you can get away. I didn’t see you. Just ru-” The soldier’s words cut off stiffening he shakes his snout. The soldier’s serpent-like pupils consume the rest of his eyes turning completely black. The hesitation and eased stance fall away, the grip on his spear tightens pulling back he smacks David away with a backhanded fist before pulling up the spear again.

Reeling in pain from the strike, David’s head pounding from the hit, in a panic, and with blurred eyes, he swings his ax to catch the spear again. The growl roaring in his chest intercepting the spear, pushing against the assailant who now attacks without a trace of mercy. Valerie calls out.

“He is taken, David, we need to run NOW!”

He can hear her footsteps circling the fight taking careful movements, making sure to stay far out of the spear’s reach. In his peripheral vision, he sees Valerie shielding their daughter while watching the fight. David roars out his anger clashing against the soldier. The soldier breaks away sliding the spear and jumping back. The trees limit the range of the spear. David taking the opportunity doesn’t hesitate to rush in. He grabs onto the breastplate and scrambles closing the distance and any advantage a spear might have.

The roaring in his chest bursts through once more and is cut because of the hardened voices encroaching behind him. The sounds of their skirmish must have led the others right to them. David panics, his eyes flicking to Valerie. She looks behind him with wide eyes and his heart sinks seeing Aveline’s eyes meet his. The roar in his chest clouds his vision where all he sees is his little girl staring in horror at the scene. Aveline reaches out a hand toward him. He is sure she is calling out to him, but he can’t hear her through the pounding in his ears.

Snapping back to the soldier’s mechanical movements still struggling against him. Valerie’s voice cuts through the fury and struggle.

“David, we need to run,” she pleads. Reflexively his eyes move away from the soldier he sees Valerie is looking for something on the ground. The soldier takes the opportunity and David’s head reels back from the crunching of his nose against the soldier’s fist. David tastes iron, his blurred vision focuses on the spear. Remembering the training from his schooling long ago, he dives at the soldier grabbing him in a bear hug pinning down his arms. David is no soldier, but day in and out in the fields has made his body strong.

He holds the soldier’s arms down like a vice, struggling he can hear Valerie start an incantation, but not the right one. “There is only one spell I can think of that I can give them some time,” David thinks, he growls at the struggling soldier. Calling out past gritted teeth and boiling anger.

“Val, do it, now!” his voice taking on animalistic growling. “I will buy you time, PLEASE, VAL!” The growl cut off at the “please.”

The soldier’s tail snaps thumping the ground. He pushes David to the side, one of his arms breaks free and he rakes out with a clawed hand. David’s face burns with pain. Roaring out, the taste of copper floods his tongue, but he does not waver for a second.

“PLEASE, VAL, NOW! I CAN’T DO IT ALONE!” He hears his love cry out as she starts the incantation. He takes one final look at his wife waving her arm in practiced motions, her eyes filled with fear and pain and tears… and love, before his vision tunnels to his daughter. She is clutching tight, terrified but still reaching for him. He wants to say ‘don’t worry,’ he wants to say he loves her, that they are safe. But as he goes to comfort her, to say he loves her one last time, the spell is completed and the roaring in his chest consumes him.

Valerie watches the soldier struggle with David, her heart racing as she circles the fight. Calling out to her husband again.

“David, we need to run,” her eyes scanning the ground looking for a stick, a rock, anything substantial to help, but she cannot peel her eyes away from her husband and the soldier. Wanting to help, she dares not get close with Aveline in her arms. Valerie takes a breath and cuts the air with her free arm starting a spell but with the struggle of her love, she cannot focus and she falters, worried she will hit David. David calls out to her.

“Val, do it now!” The growl in David’s voice shakes her, a hard lump suddenly in her throat. “No not that spell.” Swallowing hard she shakes her head, refusing. The soldier claws at David’s face carving flesh, and fresh blood covers him and the soldier.

“PLEASE VAL NOW I CAN’T DO IT ALONE!” he cries out, his voice unwavering while her ears fill with his pleas. Gritting her teeth, Valerie gives in, cutting through the air as she casts, the incantation never forgotten. She chokes out the words, her tears falling freely.

“Take the pain, Take the fear, Take away everything….and give him clarity…grant him RAGE!” The words feel like fire escaping her lips as she pours her pain, her terror, her anger, and everything she has into the spell.

A red outline fires from her extended hand crashing into her husband. Valerie’s grip waivers with the spell draining her for an instant as David roars. Aveline turns her head just in time to see the red crash into her father. She covers Aveline’s eyes pulling her head close to her chest again as her husband roars again, not in pain but in pure fury. Rage.

David’s strength emboldened by the spell, Valerie watches her husband grab the soldier’s spear yanking him closer as he punches the soldier with the ax’s head. Her vision blurs as tears flow, the pain in her chest choking her. David’s face contorts in rage and he turns his gaze towards Valerie.

She sees the desperation through the spell’s fury. Blinking the tears away and feeling shivers down her spine, she watches in horror as David, consumed by the spell, turns his attention to the enemy in front of him swinging the ax wildly. Her heart is torn in two, one half screaming to charge in to help the other pulling her down towards her daughter…Avie. She needs to keep Aveline safe. She chokes out a cry of rage of her own and turns away from her love, taking off deeper into the woods.

“Join us soon, my love. We will be waiting for you.” Valerie’s command escapes her lips, but feels cold as she knows this was the one time her love will not heed her call. Gasping for air as time seems to slow, every step takes an eternity. The yell of her enraged husband pushes her forward, but she fights through a thick invisible tar pulling her to the ground. The clash behind her grows louder when more voices join the fray, but they are slowed. Her heartbeat hurts from how fast it’s beating even if everything else is stagnant. Her lungs were no longer screaming out in pain. Everything else felt on fire as eternity burns but her husband’s voice pushes her forward still.

Finally, she takes another step, her husband roars again but it is cut short…the invisible tar turns to stone, and she cannot move, time completely halts her. Her legs no longer have the strength her husband gave them…his voice gone. Her heart no longer beating in her chest. Her ears ring and her legs falter. Through the ringing in her ears, a small cry is barely audible. Valerie searches through the darkness trying to find the source of the cry. She needs to find it. A sudden warmth takes the darkness away as sound returns. Avie. Her daughter.

Shaking in her arms, Aveline screams and clutches her mother as tightly as her small hands can. The ringing quiets and she hears a voice right behind her, distorted, with no trace of rage.

“RUN! RUN NOW!”

Time crashes into her like a tidal wave, putting her feet back under her she is moving again. Her lungs ache, catching herself before tumbling to the ground. Looking ahead because she knows she cannot look back she crashes through the brush.

“Don’t worry, Aveline. We are here. Don’t cry, you are safe.” She murmurs, reassuring Aveline as much as herself. Her feet pound the ground. She can’t stop running. They will be safe; she won’t let her husband’s death be for nothing. They have to get to the mountains. Almost there.

Jumping over roots, the branches cut into her, but she does not feel them. Refusing to let the tears blind her, she keep moving.

“Almost there, the forest is starting to clear.” The woods open. “I just have to run down to the river, and we are safe”. Bursting through the brush and wood. The sky above her again, the darkened clouds, but the mountain is just on the other side of the river. The mountain stands tall like a guardian.

“Finally safe”. Valerie stands on top of the ravine looking down at the river and smiles. A choked whisper escapes her cracked lips.

“We made it Avie.” Valerie coughs and shakily walks down the path to the river.

Aveline looks up at her mom still shaking and clutching onto her shirt. She sees the tears and hugs her mom tight burying her face and waits for the nightmare to end. Clutching onto the only thing she can focus on, her mother’s strength. Aveline rubs her face against her before she is suddenly jerked forward.

Aveline looks up and her mother’s face is contorted, her eyes wide looking back towards the forest. Aveline feels something warm on her and looks down at her mother’s white shirt as it turns a dark red. She feels herself start to slip from her mother’s strong grip. Where before it had almost hurt with how tight she was held, it now eases and she starts to fall from her hug.

“Mommy?” Aveline cries out quietly and her mother looks down at her, shaking and so very pale. Aveline sees her mother smile down at her, even if she is shaking and her blue eyes seem to glaze.

“Don’t worry Avie. We love-“

Her mother’s words are cut short as the second arrow finds its mark. Aveline screams and they both fall over the edge of the ravine. Aveline’s vision tunnels. All she can see is her mother’s blue eyes looking down at her, so full of love even as the light in them fades. The world is spinning. Upside down. Aveline feels a burning pain -- then everything turns black.