Fantasy

On Wings of Terror and Hope
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. For years, only debris from broken dreams drifted in the breeze. Flyers and trinkets unearthed by inquisitive children. Melhandra wasn’t old enough to recall the quiet years, but she bore the weight of the past all the same.
By Kristen Haveman4 years ago in Fiction
Chapter 1
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. From what I've heard, it was already a treacherous place. Only the bravest, or the greediest, use that route to reach the merchant city. Seeing as I am neither in need to risk my life, and I don't want to gamble away my possessions, I am content to stay in the village.
By Dianna Anderson4 years ago in Fiction
The Keep in the Valley
There weren't always Dragons in the Valley. As the sun rises a new day is upon us. A new day trapped in the Valley. A new day, as Dragons. A cycle that never seems to stop. Each morning I watch the sun rise on one end of the world, and at night, I watch it set on the other. I watch as a new soul enters, and another leaves in a body bag. All without anyone batting an eye. Everyone knows the dangers of The Keep yet, they still pursue it. Some in search of fame, some fortune, some because they have no other choice. And some because they would rather perish to The Keep than spend another day in this godforsaken world. All the while the world keeps spinning.
By Gabe Hastings4 years ago in Fiction
The Island
Look. Say what you want, but us rich girls have class. Sometimes. Okay, not at all. That’s a lie. But we are really, really well taught about how to pretend to have class. And that’s what counts. Right?
By Ann Gean4 years ago in Fiction
The Eye of the Dragon
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. That’s what they told us. From a young age, we were taught that dragons began appearing only fifty years ago, wreaking havoc and consuming everything in their path. Once touched by a dragon, nothing remained unchanged. They ravaged cattle, ate wandering children, and burnt forests for no other reason than for their evil spirits and destructive nature.
By Natalia Perez Wahlberg4 years ago in Fiction
Silverwort and Dragonsbane
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Before piercing talons and punishing fire, these lands were once ruled by sharp blades and sharper tongues. Before the age of dragons, there was the age of us.
By Gillian Pegg4 years ago in Fiction
Discord
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley… not until I brought them here. They call me devil for what I’ve done, but they don’t understand. Mortal hearts are fickle and easily deceived. It was I who delivered them from darkness and saved them from their own destruction. In the hour of reckoning, it was I who made the sacrifice. I was the one who slew my lover, saving their ungrateful souls by damning my own. Yet, I am the one they call evil? They curse my name and worship the very gods that once enslaved them. But I suppose I’m getting ahead of myself.
By Marcus Leopard4 years ago in Fiction
When You Accidentally Destroy The World
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Until I let them in. Green pastures and blooming flowers year round, now it's toasted lands and smoky skies. The humble cottages, their gardens and even the curious granite statue in the town square, all gone. The horde did not even spare the cobblestone roads from their destruction, going out of their way to uproot the foundations and scatter everything about; Only to then properly introduce themselves with their diabolical breath.
By Amy Alko4 years ago in Fiction
NOMAN
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. In fact, that was quite a surprise even for us. We had always read about them or heard about them from our mothers before we laid ourselves to sleep. Oh you know the drill, mom wraps you up in your favorite blanket you're sure you were born with, kisses your forehead until you feel safe then begins to tell you about the ridiculously large lizards that fly about burning everything you hold dear including, possibly, your own flesh. Yaay mom!
By EdimSong 4 years ago in Fiction
The Truth About Dragons
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. They came there seeking refuge from the great purge. The truth is that most dragons prefer the cool air and grand vistas of the mountains. For more centuries than the current generations could recall dragon kind had dwelt among the highest and most treacherous peeks of the world. Only the most carefree of their kind had dwelt in what might be considered close proximity to the inhabitants of the world and even they preferred to be in deep caves and far-flung hills so as to avoid encountering the dragon hunters. The practitioners of that ghastly profession had all but disappeared before a cool and most hospitable autumn some five years ago when a moment of chance changed everything. A family of blacks had been enjoying themselves in the far distant hills of Thallenia and were taking a well-earned nap when a group of traveling warriors had stumbled upon the sleeping foursome. It was an initial shock as the black dragon is a particularly large creature. They are formidable beings and most intimidating at first sight. The truth, however, much like all dragons, is that they are good-natured, studious and lovers of nature and their fellow beings. Having lived for exceedingly long periods of time they are learned and devoted observers of the world at large. Even with that they were concerned about various humanoid species with humans and orcs being of particular interest. It wasn’t all of them mind you but many of them had a penchant for harming others and disregarding the rights of myriad species on the planet. The dragons simply couldn’t understand it.
By PK Rankin4 years ago in Fiction
The Valley of Mourning
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Though it was rumored to be their sacred birthplace, where the first of their species were born of the goddess Arijita’s blood, the Valley of Mourning evidently held little to tempt them back. Even after a new layer of vegetation grew over the scarred site of the bloodiest battle in Khrayun history, the dragons’ avoidance prompted whispers that it still held for them the scent of rancid death with which priests’ enchanted braziers warned them away from the waystations along major trade routes. When a dragon did visit the Valley, the priests all agreed it was an omen – though they fiercely argued whether it was one of good or ill. The laymen only scoffed, calling it desperation for new hunting grounds as human settlements grew and expanded into the wilderness.
By Megan Velez Schmid4 years ago in Fiction
Fighting Fire with Fire
There weren’t always dragons in the valley. In fact Yost Valley had never had one sighting until now. Kaloyan knew this better than anyone, and he made sure to tell this to the bedraggled man at the Inn spinning tales of a ferocious beast. He spluttered on and on about it laying waste to villages throughout Yost for the last several weeks. Kaloyan had told the man in no uncertain terms that he must be mistaken. He assumed this traveler had had too much to drink. When the man began to describe the dragon’s proportions, and power, Kaloyan had had no problem telling the man that he was a thoroughbred halfwit. A dragon of such proportions would have attracted attention long ago. Yost was in the borderlands, so news of their villages rarely reached the main hubs of civilization, but the dragon he was describing would have been around for hundreds of years. Folklore, songs, local art, all of it would have been present if there had been a monster in their midst. Even if the dragon had been reclusive. Dragons had to hunt and fly. A dragon of this size would not have gone unnoticed. And yet here he was, dripping in sweat, and full plate armor in the countryside that had been charred to ash, villages wasted and livestock devoured. He was standing, at the border of a forest that had been razed to the ground a few miles away from a town he was trying to protect. And even though Yost had never seen or heard rumors of a dragon, here, towering before him was a dragon 60 feet high. It stalked him snarling and spewing smoke. In awe he acknowledged it was the most fearsome dragon he had yet beheld. And he had beheld many.
By Rebecca Boizelle4 years ago in Fiction