Eudon

Rose pulled the small hamper up and, clutching it tightly with both hands, she staggered up the hill. Her long, gangly legs made her stumble up in an ungainly fashion.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Sister Non had spoken Rose’s very thoughts. The nun caught her eye and smiled at her. Rose looked down to the large lake that sat in the clutches of the three mountains that made up the spine of the island. The water shimmered as the early morning sunlight danced across the silent, bright blue surface – the water, the life blood of all on the island. It was a beautiful place, the island of Alveren

Rose looked to the left, her eyes slowly scanning down the gentle mountain road to the huge dominant tower of the Mages, a shape that hovered like a giant predator waiting to consume them all. The Keep; a structure they all hated as they hated the people inside it, the Mages of the Empire. The Mages didn’t communicate with normal people, beyond allowing the monks to venture in to deliver supplies, most of which had been reluctantly ‘given’, in reality taken, from the inhabitants of the island.

Rose could see that the other children had already stripped off down to their under garments and were in the water with a crash of white spray. She grinned as the nuns and monks tried to keep some sort of control over the happy, excitable youngsters. She wished nothing more than to go and join them, but she knew she couldn’t; she knew only too well that the other children would not accept her if she tried to join in. They would just swim away, laughing at her. That is what always happened. She didn’t understand it. All she wanted to do was run and play but for some reason she just didn’t fit in – she felt it and the children around her felt it too.

They had taken to name calling and avoiding her, after two years of schooling and constantly being on her own, she had got used to it – but moments like these were hard. It always brought back the pain she had felt when they had first rejected her. On days like this it was a sharp and physical pain.

“Come here, Rose.” The nun patted the ground next to her. “Sit here and have some bread. It’s such a lovely day. Rose selected a long loaf of dark bread and greedily pulled it apart as she watched the fun below.

As the two of them ate, Sister Non did her best to distract Rose. “So, then, Rose, are you ready for the test later on? Rose looked up from the bread in her hand that she was concentrating on to look at the nun. She had a friendly, kind and plump face with a fringe of grey hair, which gave the old women an almost saintly glow about her. “I think so, Sister. I know about our history, the Great War, the birth of the Empire; well, I think I do.”

“Good, I want you to do well, Rose. I know it’s hard for you with….” the nun gesticulated out over the group of children splashing and laughing in the water. “I hope you can show them and the other adults what you are really made of.” Rose smiled up at the old nun. Rose felt like she was the closest person to her, with the exception of her mother, of course.

The thought of her mother darkened her mood again. Rose looked up at the sun. Her father would be awake now and would have administered his morning beating to whoever was nearest. Rose was thankful that she was out on this trip and away from that monster. The old nun had sensed the change in Rose and guessed what had brought it about. “Come now,” she whispered gently, “don’t think about it, you are free for now.”

“Now you have had some lunch it is time for our lesson, now who knows the story of our island?” said the monk to the circle of children around him. Several of the children put their hands up as the monk looked around at them, deciding which one to choose.

“Yes, Siluas,” he nodded at the boy sitting to his right. “Our island is the first place the freemen set foot on when their ships got here,” said the boy.

“Yes, quite correct,” acknowledged the monk. “There is some debate as to whether this is where man, much longer back, first came into being even, but that is another story.” Rose felt her eyes grow heavy as the monk’s monotonous voice droned on.

“So then, as we know, men are not one of the ancient races but they are older than others, we fit in nicely somewhere in the middle.”: “You all know, or should do by now, that the Elves enslaved our ancestors around ten thousand years ago, and for millennia our ancestors were worked hard under the yoke of King Abaddon, the Elvin Kink and the Elves who followed him, until roughly eight thousand years ago, on this very day, when men from the East arrived; our brothers from across the sea had looked out and heard our cries and had come to rescue us. So, children, who were their leaders? Rose?”

Rose felt the spiteful eyes of her classmates settling on her as she sat at the back of the outdoor gathering. “Darvon, Sir, the great Emperor arrived with his army of men of all colours, from the ancient lands.” She replied, looking up into the hard eyes of the monk.

“Indeed, you are right, Rose, he did.” “The great Emperor, Darvon the Mighty it was, and with him came the six leaders of men,” one of the girls interjected, calling across and breaking the locked eyes that Rose had maintained with the monk as she spoke.

“The six leaders of men who founded the great empire over the ruins of their Elvin masters after the Great War which lasted ten years, ten years which saw the death of the last of the dragons and the almost complete annihilation of trolls and giants.”

“Sir, it was the Mages who stayed here, who told the King of the Horse folk about the weak gate to the West, wasn’t it, sir?” another boy called out.

“Oh, yes,” the monk replied, “and so the legend goes, the great hero Barasc Ironside broke the Elvin defences, during the five-year siege of Thulandria, the Elvin capital out on the plains. He and his greatest riders fought their way all the way to the Golden Hall, where they found the great evil, the Elvin King Abaddon.” The monk paused for effect as any good storyteller would do.

“We do not talk of him now, but it is said that the Mages who live here are waiting, watching, for his return; that the evil that claimed the world long ago, and then lost it, could return.” Just the mention of the king of the Elves had conjured up a fearful atmosphere amongst them all.

“Come, do not be fearful, now then, children,” the monk smiled down at them, trying to break the atmosphere. “We are here to learn so, what happened after that, so what did Ironside do?” Siluas spoke up again:

“They fought, and Ironsides won, and the barbarians left the capital, even though he could have claimed the throne for himself. Instead, the backward beast rode off, taking his warriors to the North, and they have lived there ever since!” Siluas said the last sentence in a mocking tone.

Rose pondered on the history of the Northerners. They were also viewed as rather odd, which resonated with her, as they did not operate a hierarchical society run by the elite – as all other groups across the empire did. The North viewed all men and women the same, as equals, and even their leaders were not heirs to the throne; but had to have the support of the people to be given the honour.

“Heathens, my dad says they are!” one of the boys yelled, greeted by loud agreement. “Do you know they let women ride with them into battle, clad like men?” scoffed one of the girls, “My mum says it’s no way for a lady to act!” The atmosphere of fear was now replaced with the camaraderie of mocking those who are different, a comfort blanket for many humans when they gather in a group.

“Our cousins to the North are an odd bunch, I know,” said the monk, “the question hotly debated by men of learning is this: Why did Barasc not take the throne for himself?” Rose looked around. She could see from their faces that no one here had any idea.

“He must have been mad, sir,” a boy quietly answered. “All the power was there for the taking; he must have been weak, frightened of it,” someone else added.

Rose began to feel annoyed at them all; “It is obvious,” Rose heard herself say, “They didn’t want to be caged!” She startled herself; her voice was clear and strong, and it was almost as though someone else was saying it for her.

“Sorry, Rose, what did you say?” The monk looked at her, bemused. “They didn’t want to be caged, Barasc didn’t want all the luxuries or the riches that the empire offered him, he wanted…” she paused. “What, wanted what?” the monk cut across her as she paused. She could feel all the eyes back on her once more. “The Northerners seem to love adventure, they love their horses, they love their way of life, and I don’t think riches or position are important to them.” Rose blurted out.

A silence had fallen around her, one that she only noticed once she had stopped speaking. She felt the eyes of everyone on her, almost drilling into her, like they always did at times like this, times when she just couldn’t stop herself. There were times when her heart and soul would speak out and, because of these times, she was thought of as odd.

“Umm, yes, well, thank you, Rose,” the monk muttered, breaking the silence. He resumed his lecture, but the sniggering and muttering was rumbling around the group, diverting attention from the monk.

“She is an odd one, that one, she thinks she’s better than us. She’s always saying random things,” whispered one girl. “Yes, but she is just a freak. My mum says she is an idiot, a bit fuzzled in the brain.” A few of them cackled laughter at this, and others nearby joined in. “She is so high and mighty; I reckon she thinks she is special, thinks she is destined for something better than we are,” said the girl sitting nearest to Rose, clearly enough for her to hear.

Rose felt as if the air around her was dissipating; her breathing became shallow, she felt the anxiety and fear grip her. She felt she was seen as a fool, although she had spoken from her heart, but it was never in line with others’ thinking. She stood up, as she felt the return of her deep black feeling of despair. She jumped to her feet and set off running.

“Ooohh, there she goes again, Rose the mad girl, the nutty one!!!” Their voices followed her on the air, spitefully chasing her, and then the talk was joined by howls of laughter . Rose ran as fast as she could, headlong down the hillside, her ungainly legs almost tripping her up, her dress snagged and tore as she pushed through the bushes and undergrowth, onwards down the hillside.

She reached the bottom of the hill, breathless, and blundered her way out of a bush and straight into the path of two strangers.

“Bloody Hell!” the startled man yelled at Rose as, with all the momentum of the downhill run, she crashed into him, sending both of them sprawling to the ground.

“Sorry, sorry,” Rose muttered in reply, as she scrambled up and turned to sprint off. “Hey, are you alright?” she heard him shout but, breathing deeply, she ploughed on. Her isolation from her classmates, coupled with the incident on the track, had finally broken down the last dam of defence and streams of hot, salty tears sprang uncontrollably from her eyes, running down each side of her nose. She could feel them collecting on her chin, the saltiness gathering each side of her mouth.

She burst out of the wood and onto the open sandy beach that lay about a mile away from the village. The midday sun sparkled off the choppy water of the Great River that twisted and turned like a giant, never ending eel in front of her as it entered the sea. In the distance Rose could see the mainland.

On that side of the sea was the land of the elves, their homeland, where they had returned to after their defeat. Returning to the beautiful land with its high trees and beautiful gardens, none of which she could see due to the thin mist obscuring whatever there may be waiting on the far banks of the river. ‘Men don’t walk in the land of the elves.’ Rose repeated in her head the mantra that everyone on the island was forced to remember. Looking through her tears as she looked over the water: ‘One day I too will leave and find somewhere I am accepted, and perhaps loved!’ she said out loud.

She selected a tree and climbed up to its highest branches. The tree gave her a good view over the Great River and beyond. She sat quietly, in a cosy cross-section of its branches, thinking of the story of the Northern people; the people who she felt were like her – separate, alone.

‘Maybe I should look to the North,’ she wondered to herself. She was tired now, her eyes began to grow heavy as the midday sun danced on her; as it filtered through the leaves above, it warmed the exposed skin on her arms and legs.

‘Maybe they will understand me, and I them,’ she thought, before her eyes began to close. Sleep claimed her as she nestled in the thick branches, the warm sun caressing her and gently carrying her to a kinder, safer dream world, for a little while.

“Oh, no,” Rose exclaimed, almost falling from her high perch. She woke to find that darkness had descended and had turned the beautiful glistening river into a spooky, terrifying place of demons and ghouls, or so she thought as she listened to the repetitive sound of water lapping on the sand and mud below.

She looked up at the two moons that sat high in the night sky: It is almost midnight now and not a time to be out on my own, especially as a young girl, she concluded. Her mother would be worried.

Clinging to the nearest branch, she stretched out her hand to take a hold. She gingerly made her way down and, nearing the bottom, she lowered herself until her toes met the soft, yielding ground below. She dropped, with a spray of sand acknowledging her arrival, the ground at her feet illuminated slightly by the eerie glow from the two moons. The lower moon seemed oddly closer than usual, hanging low in the night sky. Further out, though, was complete darkness on all sides, accompanied by the eerie silence of the night, punctuated occasionally by the odd call of some nocturnal predator, moving almost silently through the darkness as it pursued its prey.

“Come on, girl,” Rose muttered to herself, as she clasped her hands together to stop her hand shaking. “It isn’t far back to the village, move,” she spoke aloud, urging herself forward. But the image of walking through the wood terrified her into stillness; the thought of a bear, a wolf or, worse, one of those fhorans being out there made her panic so much that she could not bring herself to move. Even though she knew that fhorans didn’t come this far south, all that she had read about them terrified her more than the wolves.

“Stop being silly!” she scolded herself angrily and managed to force herself to take a step forward, pushing the thick brambles and grasses at the edge of the beach out of her way as she set off nervously towards the village, which she now held in great affection and was desperate to get back to, safely.

She went cautiously through the thick undergrowth, trying not to break anything and make a noise; she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and sweat trickle down her back, cooling her further and making her shiver from cold and fear.

She felt as if someone or something was watching her from the darkness, and her imagination began to conjure up images of the demons and Elves that the monk had been talking about. A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that there are even worse things about, even worse than fhorans, or trolls. Fear began to take control and chip away at the last, fragile tendrils of her nerves. She moved on slower and slower, stopping every time she heard a noise on the wind or thought she saw something creeping along in the darkness, behind a tree or rock.. She heard a quiet flapping noise, as if a bird had brushed by, but couldn’t see anything. She stood still, looking hard into the blackness around her, there is was again, this time nearer, but she couldn’t see anything.

“Whose there?” she whispered, hoping no one would answer, “Only me” came a whisper back. She jumped back in horror; the reply was close to her ear and yet there was no-one there. As she jumped backwards, she fell into the bush next to her and scrabbled around frantically trying to see what or who it was, and to disentangle herself from the tangle of branches, vines and leaves encircling her. “Sorry, don’t be scared, I am friendly, I am worried about you being here all alone,” said the disembodied voice, still quite close to her. Rose stopped struggling and stared as hard as she could to where the voice was coming from, still nothing.

“If you are friendly then show yourself,” she said in the bravest voice she could muster. “I will, but you must promise to accept me as I am and not be frightened at what you see,” came the reply. Rose felt less scared at that reply, her curiosity came to the fore. “I am ready” she told the voice.

A hazy shimmer of mist appeared in front of where she was still sitting in the bush. She stared as the mist took on a shape and solidified, into a large, round body, that was standing over her. She looked up to see a pointed face emerge, with a broad flat nose and very large nostrils reddish skin, large green eyes and then she heard the flapping noise again as it gently adjusted its wings. It was a dragon. “You’re a dragon” said Rose, stating numbly what was obvious. “So, I am told” it replied, although I believe I am an aerouant but in this world you call me dragon,” the dragon replied. “Oh,” replied Rose. “I didn’t know dragons, sorry aerounant’s, can be invisible” she said.

“I don’t know if others can, I just know I can” said the dragon. “It is easy to do when I am scared,” the dragon continued. “Why do you get scared, you are a dragon, wow!” Rose scrambled up out of the bush, no longer scared but excited. “Why wouldn’t I get scared?” said the dragon, “so many want to capture me, harm me, I am always scared” The dragon sat down so he was better able to look Rose in the face.

“You have a point there,” said Rose. “I never thought of it that way.” “What’s your name?” she asked. “I am Eudon,” said the dragon. “Rose” said Rose. An awkward silence followed. Rose was not completely sure she was safe. Eudon broke the silence, “so what are you doing out here alone at night” he asked. Rose told him what had happened that day.

Eudon was a good listener. He made sympathetic sounds when she talked about how her classmates sometimes treated her and frowned when she told him about her father. “Humans are quite strange” he said, “Some are kind and don’t think about themselves all the time, others are unkind and only think about themselves, which are you Rose?” he looked at her intently. “I try to be kind, and I try not to think about myself too much, but I can be sad at times, wishing for things” she replied. He looked carefully at her. “I need your help,” he said.

Rose looked at him in surprise, what help would a dragon need from her she thought. “Of course, what do you need” she replied. “Well, I have found a very small human and don’t know what to do with it” came the surprising reply from Eudon.

“OK,” said Rose rather warily, “how small, where is it?” she asked. “About the size of your leg” said Eudon, “Can you come with me to see it?”

Rose was in a dilemma now, should she go with this dragon she had met in the middle of the night? That would be foolish, but on the other hand Eudon is telling her he has found a child, so she can’t ignore that. “Yes, I will come with you,” she decided. Eudon turned and walked up the path toward the higher ground. Rose followed. She noticed that as the got higher the temperature fell.

‘What is going on?’ Rose thought to herself, noticing all the hairs on her arms were standing on end and goosebumps erupted all over her exposed skin. The summer months were always warm and pleasant, and even during the night the temperature didn’t fall greatly, so this was extremely odd.

As she glanced up the hill, she could see strange white and orange light radiating across the top of the hill from where the lake below was. On reaching the brow she looked down to see the lake the others had been swimming in earlier that day. It was now completely solid, covered in ice, and the strange light she had noticed glowing was emanating from a large hexagon shape in the centre of the ice. Rose looked down in amazement at what she was seeing, and up at Eudon. “What is this?” she asked him. “It’s the human child I told you about” he replied. Rose didn’t understand what he was saying, how can a child be there?

“You best get on my back, and I will take you down to her” Eudon sank down so Rose could climb onto him, holding tight onto his scaly yet surprisingly soft skin. Eudon stretched out his impressive wings and with a flap the were air-bourn. Rose was entranced, her breath was crystallising in front of her mouth, the crisp air swept around her head, the experience of flight was exhilarating. Eudon landed gently on the thick ice.

Rose slipped off his back and they both walked over to the hexagon shape which was sparkling orange and white. It was the size of a hut with an arched entrance. Rose walked through into it, but Eudon could only poke his nose through to look in.

Inside there was a small cot with a young child lying on it, she looked to be no more than two years of age. She was asleep, Rose could see her chest slowly rising up and down as she slept, her breath visible in the cold air. Rose walked over to her. She was dark skinned with long curly hair, which was a mix of orange and white streaks, most unusual, thought Rose as she reached out to touch her, the child was warm, although there was no source of heat in the floating room.

“Who is she?” asked Rose as she looked at Eudon. “I don’t know” he replied. “I found her on the shore of the lake, just as dawn was breaking, she was sleeping like she is now. I picked her up and put her in a cave above the shoreline and went to the village to see if I could hear anyone was looking for a child. I often go to the villages, invisible of course, to listen to what you humans are doing” he added. “I didn’t hear anyone worrying about a lost child. It was getting dark when I came back and the ice had formed on the lake, and she was where you see her now. She appears every night, then disappears as soon as the sun begins to rise.”

Rose thought about this, she remembered the story, more a fairytale, about dragon kind or dragon born.

“How are you here Eudon?” she asked. “I don’t really know, I hatched here, I think, and had to look after myself as there were no other aeronauts here. All I had when I hatched was a box, with jars of liquid that was my food before I learnt to catch fish and find rock, I like to eat rocks, and a book in it, which when you open it talked to me and told me the history of my kind, the Aerouant’s.”

“Can I see it?” asked Rose. “I will fetch it now” replied Eudon, sensing that Rose had an idea to pursue. He flew off and was back in a few minutes with it. She opened it and it sprang into giving a visual and audio account of the history of the Aerouant.

Rose quickly realised that she could move through sections by swiping the scene and searched for any clue about dragon eggs, dragon kind, stopping at an image of a human infant. Listening carefully to the narration. “When the egg hatches of a dragonkind there can be rare complications and they stay in human form. If this happens it is likely they will slip into a coma, and die. There are rare exceptions, if they are blessed with the power to become invisible, then the youngling may survive, fading with the sun, returning at night.” “That’s it!” said Rose. She has your power to become invisible!! “She must be your kin Eudon.” Eudon was shocked, he had been resigned to a life alone and now it seemed he might have family after all. “How do we break the cycle?” he asked excitedly. “Ah, yes, good question” said Rose as both realised they were no further forward.

“Can you control your invisibility Eudon or does it just happen when you are scared?” asked Rose. “I can’t stop it if I am scared but I have learnt to make myself feel scared if I want to be invisible.” Eudon replied. “OK, maybe she is scared?” said Rose, “If we can make her feel safe perhaps she will break the cycle, it’s worth a try,” she looked at Eudon. “I know what makes me feel safe” he said,. “Go on,” Rose urged. “Well, I like to go into the lake, down to a warm cave, where no one can find me to sleep.” Rose nodded. “I don’t know if she can go underwater, I might harm her” added Eudon. “Well, she wouldn’t want to stay in this coma, so I think you best try” said Rose reassuringly. “I say take her before the sun rises! Eudon nodded solemnly. “Let’s get you home first.” he said.

Rose, carrying the young child in her arms, clambered onto Eudon’s back. They swept up into the sky as the two moons shone down on the island and added their beams to the sparkling lake below. Rose had to spend a few moments getting her bearings then was able to give directions to Eudon who was able to land softly near the small farm where Rose lived. She went into the stable to get a blanket and some ropes, putting the child into the blanket she tied her to Eudon. She gave Eudon a hug and stepped back as he took to the skies, there was little time left, she could see a sliver of sunlight breaking as she clambered into her bed.

Rose woke and recalled the strangest of dreams. She slid out of bed and saw the scratches on her arms and legs, as the events of last night came flooding back, she knew it was not a dream but who would ever believe her story.

She had her breakfast and set about her chores, her mind racing with what had happened. The following day she took Jasper, her dog, down to the river that meandered just behind the south field. As she sat with her feet in the water Jasper started to bark. There was no one there, she looked up and down, nothing. She got up to walk back to the house, and there, next to where she had been sitting, were very large footprints in the muddy riverbank, a set of four large dragon footprints, and a smaller set of four following behind. Eudon was no longer alone.