Dragon Speaker

There weren’t always Dragons in the Valley, or so the stories go. There wasn’t always fear and hatred so thick it was as if you walked through molasses everywhere you went. There weren’t always fires on the mountains, and missing live stock. There weren't always empty houses, and vacant eyed people. These are the stories the Elders love to tell, though to be honest I don’t think that they are even old enough to remember a time before.

The Elders say that before the Dragons came our valley thrived. Our crops were the most fruitful around and produced the most harvest. Our trade outside the Valley made our people richer than kings. They talk of fine clothing, and full bellies. Of quiet sleepy nights, and happy music filled festivals.

I know of none of this as my world is drab brown clothing and barely enough food to survive to the next day, with the only sound being whispers. Whispers because a noise to loud may draw their attention, and if you drew the dragons down from mountain top nests you would be locked out in the street to be their meal or burn in their fire.

We were taught to be mostly silent, to never question an Elder, move quickly and mind your business, and never NEVER bring down the dragons. Everyone in the Valley feared and hated the Dragons, they thought them to be brainless hateful creatures only capable of destruction.

Everyone that is except me, for as long as I could remember I had had dreams of the dragons and people working side by side. Of taking our presumed misfortune and turning it into a gift and a blessing. I had dreamed of building a partnership with the dragons, and our Valley not only thriving but undefeatable.

I had dreams of riding dragons, raising dragons, dragons defending us in war and more. I had never had a dream that was memorable that didn’t include the dragons.

But life had taught me at an early age to never speak of my dreams, my parents would shush me with horror. The elders would threaten to sacrifice me, and the other children would drag me to dark alley and beat me.

Still I was never convinced my dreams were a sign that I was crazy. I couldn’t help but think I was meant to do something about the dragon and human relations. I never told anyone, but as I approached the age of adulthood a grand sixty-four seasons, I began to form a plan.

In the Valley you counted your life by season, the elders say that before the dragons came we counted by full cycles. A cycle being four seasons. But since the dragons came and our lives tended to be shorter we counted by seasons. At sixty-four seasons, sixteen cycles, you were considered to be an adult in the Valley.

I guess the elders thought if you could manage to survive that long you deserved to have some privileges, or the fact we had minimal adults and the harvest needed to be done and shops run I chose to think they thought me mature at sixty-four seasons.

At the age of adulthood, you moved out of your parents’ house in your own house. I heard the stories that people used to have to build their own house and you slept in the weather until it was complete, it was a rite of passage into adulthood. Now though, there are always empty houses and no one dares go to the woods for the lumber to build. That action might draw the attention of the Dragons.

You didn’t get to choose your house, it was chosen for you by the elders. I hoped for a house near the outskirts of the village it would make my plans easier to complete, though I never voiced this opinion. I had no wish to make anyone suspicious. Though they never mentioned it, there was not anyone in the Valley who had forgotten I was the girl that dreamed of dragons.

Bad enough I was such a small girl with bright red hair whereas the everyone else had brown or black, but my dreams of the dragons really made me an outcast.

They villagers whispered when they thought I couldn’t hear that I would never find a proper husband. That maybe that was for the best. After all why anyone would risk producing another child that didn’t know the Dragons were the enemy and had the feared red hair.

I had decided long ago that their words didn’t matter, that my barely accepted existence was my own and I would make it the best possible for me. I didn’t worry about things like a husband and children. I didn’t worry about being the shortest female in the Valley, the men preferred tall women. Tall women made tall healthy babies so they say.

I didn’t worry, that my hair and eyes were so rare of a color that no one alive could remember seeing them. I loved their colors from the tree leaf green of my eyes to bright red of my hair. My hair was so bright in fact that in the sunshine if I moved just so it looked like rippling flames.

I think most people feared that a dragon see my hair and be enraged at the color that so resembled their fire that they would then punish the village. I had been made to cover my hair my whole childhood, but when I became an adult no one could force that on me anymore.

I sighed looking around the small room in my parents’ home. I couldn’t wait to leave this place just one more day and I could go. I had nothing personal in my room, my childhood had taught me to hide anything that I might care about or it may be used against me to ‘stop my wicked ways’.

My parents hadn’t been very loving but they hadn’t been as cruel as some. I think they didn’t know what to do with me and so mostly pretended I didn’t exist. I was the middle child of five, so they didn’t need me to carry their legacy. Whatever that was. No one had legacies anymore. People barely lived and only just managed to survive.

I wanted more than that. I wanted more that to move to my adult home and make babies and live in fear that they would be eaten. I wanted to hike the mountains and cut down trees. I wanted to leave this Valley and see what the world had to offer.

Sighing again I stood up, one more day and I could figure out how to do that. I tiptoed to the kitchen, hoping no one would be around. My older two siblings had already moved out, but the younger two were still here. My little sister Narah was just four seasons younger me, and my little brother Nirecht was 8 seasons younger.

They hated me, and had hated me since they were old enough to realize I was the outcast. I had no friends in the Valley and my younger siblings took everything about me as a personal affront to them. And they had spent plenty of time using force to remind me how much they hated me. Like everyone else in the Valley they were bigger than me.

Most of the Valley seemed willing to let me be and hope I disappeared or was eaten, my younger siblings had tried to rid the problem themselves. I avoided them at all costs, no one ever believed me when I turned up bloody and said they had done it. Everyone even my parents turned a blind eye to the 'accidents' that had always plagued me.

I internally sighed in sweet relief when the kitchen was empty of people. I grabbed a quick breakfast bread, more like a flavorless rock than food, and exited. Today was my last day as labor in the field. Tomorrow after getting my house, I would be given three days to settle and decide my job.

If I couldn’t decide the elders council would put me wherever I was needed. I hoped to not be in the Valley beyond the first day, though I kept even that buried deep. It would do no good to look more than my usual glum self else I might raise suspicions.

I made it to the field and began my work it was near harvest time and we had to check to ensure the food was not rotten overrun by weeds or stolen. Food wasn't often stolen, but sometimes there was an incident where someone couldn't bear the hunger pains and took from the harvest. The punishment was death, but not immediate death. They would be locked in their house and guarded, unable to leave until starvation took them.

The idea being that their theft had caused the hunger of someone else and the harshness of the punishment would discourage further attempts. It must have worked, I couldn't remember ever in my life of their being a theft.

It was tedious back breaking work but work I was used to. I was one of the few littles never allowed anything except field duty. It was seen as a punishment for the clumsy, careless, or in my case the unwanted. What they never knew was I preferred to be out here. Away from them, away from the judgements and whispers.

My day passed quickly and thankfully I found no rotten or missing food from the harvest. It did seem the weeds were excessive but it kept me busy. When the sun lowered in the sky and it became hard to see anymore I made my way back to my parents’ home.

I entered the kitchen, grabbing another rock bread and heading to my room. I didn’t make it before my father and mother spotted me and called me to them. I groaned inwardly, I didn’t want to talk to them. Not today, not any day.

“Niyah,” My mother began. “We know tomorrow you get your new home, and will be leaving here. You will be an adult in the eyes of the Valley and we just wanted to say, uhhm, good luck.”

I raised an eyebrow, no matter I had to crane my neck back to look my mother in the eye, but did she really just say good luck? What did that even mean? Good luck on becoming an adult, no one actually beat you to death? Good luck on surviving away from us, even though we never protected you?

My father cleared his throat uncomfortably, “What we mean is, that we know your life has not been easy, and we hope being a Valley adult will help.”

I blinked stupidly at him, they had certainly made my life harder than was necessary. They had never shown me care and love, and had half the time pretended I didn’t exist. My parents squirmed uncomfortably and I stared another moment watching them, feeling satisfied I turned without a word and left.

Tomorrow I would no longer have to see them if I didn’t wish too. I would no longer be the outcast and unwanted child. Tomorrow my life would begin, tomorrow I would find my purpose.

At dawn there was a quiet knock at the door to my bedroom, without a word I got up collected my few garments of clothing and walked out. I walked past my glaring siblings and my parents who stood like sentinels, to the front door and stopped in front the Valley leader.

She was the oldest person in the Valley and so leader by default. At one hundred and twenty seasons old, thirty cycles, she was rather young if you asked me. Our people once had lived to be two hundred and forty seasons, or sixty cycles. She had lost her brown hair to gray and brown eyes had dulled to resemble muddy water.

It was a sign of living under the fear and hatred that permeated the valley. I vowed to never end up like her or any of them. I would find a way out or I would die before life beat me down. Without a word she beckoned me to follow her.

We walked out the door and down the street it was lined with people. Everyone standing outside their homes to observe, it was a tradition not even the dragons had managed to destroy. Though there used to be much more celebration on days like this.

Even in the time before people would stand outside and line the streets as the new adult chose their plot and and began to build their home. It was supposed to a show of support I guess. To me it seemed like a farce, none of them could really be happy I had survived this long.

I almost smiled in relief when the Elder kept walking and walking down the road passing many empty houses and going to the outskirts. They probably thought this a clever punishment.

Stick the flame haired outcast far away, then if the dragons were to come down for me no one else would be harmed. If they had known this is where I wanted to be I would no doubt be in the middle of town. There would be able to watch me.

We stopped in front of the last house and she opened the door, it was dark inside and appeared unclean. That was against tradition. Since we had started to occupy houses of those lost to the dragons the village had taken to cleaning the chosen house and lighting a fire before the newest adult got there.

I wasn’t surprised no one had done for me. I nodded at the elder, walked past her and shut the door without word. Tradition said I should have thanked her and delivered some kind of promise to keep the Valley surviving. But I didn’t care.

I made my way to the far side of the house and opened a window that looked away from the village. This let enough light in I could look around my new home. It was a single room with a fire place in the middle, this made me a little sad. Homes like this with no closed off rooms meant the builder had died before having a family.

Back when we built homes that was what you looked forward too, building onto it with a family. It has gotten a little hazy in the details of what happened when you chose your life partner with the house, since it was a rite of passage to build your home male or female. Perhaps they chose one and disassembled the other, using that to build on and improve.

I found some dry timber and a fire starter kit, at least they had left me that much. I figured I had waited long enough now that no eyes would be peering towards my home so I located the backdoor, every house had two doors, and headed out.

I peered around for anyone who might be watching, and when I saw no one I ran. I ran faster than I had ever run before straight to the woods. The woods had been forbidden since the dragons came, as they guarded the trees. I didn’t care, better the woods and a potential dragon than another day in the village.

I slowed when I finally broke the tree line, and for the first time in my memory I breathed a sigh of relief. The air seemed fresher here, no longer bogged down by fear and hatred.

I had no food with me, so I first set out to find something edible. We were all taught to hunt, and given a knife as children on the off chance some game animal would stumble into our village.

We had also been taught the edible plants even those in the forest though no one had seen or eaten them in generations. I crept through the trees, a lifetime of being taught to walk near silently and never draw attention to myself became habit and allowed me to observe my surroundings.

I found some edible leaves and roots first, with excitement and a little trepidation I ate them. If I identified them wrong no one would ever find my body. I had only the hand down knowledge of what they were supposed to look like and taste like.

I was giddy with joy when I felt no adverse effects and continued through the trees. I heard running water and turned to it, this must be the stream that led into the village. I approached it cautiously, wary of what may be near. Water was essential to all living things.

I paused behind a tree when I got close, and taking a deep breath to steady my nerves I peered around. Seeing nothing I approached the stream and knelt to dip my hands in for a drink. I would need to make something to hold water eventually.

Finally drinking my fill I rocked back on my heels and looked up at the trees. Between branches I could see the perfect blue of the sky, and it felt as if a different sky were over head. A freer sky.

A cracking noise behind me had me spinning around, and there just a stones throw away was a juvenile dragon, snarling. How had it gotten so close?

I sucked in a deep breath and tried to stop my heart racing. I didn’t want to bleed off fear and encourage this dragon to see me as prey. I forced myself to take slow deep breaths as we stared at each other.

Neither of us moved and I began to realize it was hurt. The dragons's wing hung at a bad angle and there were scratches across its body. I was taken aback with this evidence that dragons could be hurt, all the stories made them seem invincible and unbreakable.

I carefully stretched a hand toward the dragon, “if you don’t kill me, I can help you,” I said. I don’t know I spoke to the dragon, I didn’t know if it even understood me but some instinct told me to try. “You seem to be alone, and alone and injured is never good. Trust me, I know that lesson well.” I kept my voice low and calm trying for soothing.

“Why would I ever trust a human? We dragons remember what trusting humans did.” A voice sounded in my head and reverberated through my body, it was electrifying. The voice had a feminine tone, but sounded far older than I would have said the dragon to be.

I tried for a smile. “Well, to be fair, I’m not trusted by humans.” I chuckled bitterly. “In fact if any of them saw this they would probably praise you if you ate me.” It never occurred to me to wonder at the fact I was speaking so easily with the dragon, a creature that by legend thrived on pain and destruction.

The dragon tilted its head and stepped a little closer. I didn’t feel threatened, though the penetrating gaze made me feel bare to my soul. The dragon was beautiful with scales of fire red and orange that faded to blue at the tips. When they moved it was easy to imagine true fire moved across it's body.

I gasped in wonder, and took an involuntary step closer. “You’re amazing.” I breathed. “Not even in my dreams were dragons this beautiful.” I admired the dragon and stared openly.

I heard a snort in my head. “It has been a long time since a flame haired human was around, I believe the other humans used to kill them at birth.” It was a nonchalant statement that stole the air from my lungs.

I took a step back, “wait, what?” I gasped out.

The dragon suddenly advanced and I tripped and fell over. It stood over me and looked down while I lay on the ground. “Don’t play stupid child. Surely you noticed you were the only one to have hair that color.”

I nodded and whispered “I have told it was curse and have been shunned my whole life for being smaller weaker, and red haired.” I found it hard to breathe while the dragon stood over me but it didn’t feel like fear in my chest.

It was excitement and adrenaline, emotions so foreign to me that they weighed me down and sought to distract me.

The dragon snorted, “better shunned than dead. Humans betray their own kind even easier than they did us.”

“I don’t understand what you are saying, I don’t know anything about betrayal. I was told the dragons moved into the Valley and invaded us.” I said quietly.

The dragon snarled and I felt the heat roll through it’s nostrils. “Invaded? HA! We were invited, then betrayed.”

My head spun, I had never heard anything like what the dragon saying. Could it be true? Or was this dragon lying to me? My thoughts buzzed, and I sat up suddenly forgetting the dragon was there I smacked my forehead into it’s snout and felt a spike break skin.

I had learned as a little child that crying out in pain encouraged more pain, so even though it felt like fire had sliced my skin I barely whimpered.

“Stupid human!” The dragon snarled in my head, just before I fainted and the world silent.

I had the feeling of wet pine cone scratching across my forehead, prickly and hard but oddly soggy. I jerked my head and my eye popped open. A large forked tongue easily as long as my entire arm slurped across my forehead again.

My brain seized and the only working thought was that I would now be eaten. I would die and I hadn’t even gotten to enjoy my freedom for a day. I held still awaiting the inevitable, I told my eyes to close that I didn’t want to see those teeth close over my head. I told my ears to go deaf, I didn’t want to hear bones break, it’s an eerie sound already but precluding death.. it made my stomach want to revolt.

Twice more the dragon’s tongue scratched wetly across my forehead, and I noticed that the cut no longer burned like fire. In fact it felt as though the cut were gone, as if it had never been. I raised a hand slowly to my head and felt with careful fingers, no cut. I didn’t even think there was a raised scar. The dragon had licked my wound, and it healed.

Dumbfounded I sat up, slower this time, and stared into one large ruby colored eye. It wasn’t a red eye like tiredness, or how you would imagine a villain. This red was deep, like the richest stone from the Earth. It had layers, and facets you could lose yourself in the eyes of a dragon.

Dragging my thoughts back to myself, I said to the dragon quietly. “Thank you. I’m not sure why you did that for me, but thank you.” As far back as I could remember this simple act by the dragon was the only true kindness ever shown to me.